Three

Item: The Radio Hits
Author: Sarah Verno

The Radio Hits

(2005)

Reviewed by Sarah Verno

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Label Silent Planet RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2005

blues rock hard rock

Because the band name is Three, I decided it would be appropriate to give you three reasons why I would check out this CD:

1. Good Lyrical Quality -- Though the vocal performance isn't the best I've heard, lyrically the songs are very uplifting and are a nice form of worship. By being straightforward and singing directly to Christ himself, Three leaves no space for questioning whether they're talking about Him or not. These guys are worshiping God and they succeed in making that completely obvious, which is a good thing.

2. Variety of Sounds -- When I first listened to this record, I wasn't really sure what type of band is Three exactly. "Holy Words" and "Faithfulness" are clearly rock songs, while "Nobody Wants To Die" and "Backslider" sound like a form of blues. Then, there are songs like "When You Pray" and "Talk to the Wind" that give off a folk-like vibe. If you like variety when you listen to a CD, The Radio Hits would be a good choice for you.

3. Impressive Instrumentals -- I could be mistaken, but judging from his incredible guitar solos thrown into a couple songs throughout the album, it sounds to me as if Three's guitarist was pulled straight out of a hard rock, '80's hair band (well, I'm not sure about the hair part, but you get my point). In "Holy Words," the guitarist shreds a 40 second guitar solo that took me so off guard I had to rewind the track and listen to it a couple more times. The other instruments were impressive as well (for a really good example of this, check out "Doctor in the House"). The sounds are intricate, which adds a lot of flair to the album.

In fact, Three leaves their final song, "Heaven's Horses," completely instrumental, so in case you didn't pick up on their talent earlier in the album, you won't leave without a taste of it. Following the four-minute solo is a "hidden track" of more instrumental rock music, but that actually reveals a large problem -- though we get a little glimpse of it here and there, their true talent as musicians is somewhat hidden until that final track. After listening to such an astounding 8-minute song, I was wondering whether this was the same band I had just listened to for the last 50 minutes. There are few "Christian" bands that I'm aware of that can make a track that sounds like it'd be off a Steve Vai or Joe Satriani record, and Three is one of them. If Three were to embrace that specific style rather than creating an album that sounds just like a multitude of other artists out there, I think it would really set them apart as musicians from a large majority of Christian artists.

None-the-less, The Radio Hits is a good album with quality lyrics and a variety of sounds that is sure to please at least one of your musical tastes.

3.5 tocks