Needtobreathe - H A R D L O V E (2016)
It's always interesting to hear a band dramatically change their sound after years of doing pretty much the same thing. U2 did it with great success in the early 1990s with Achtung Baby and Radiohead did while garnering massive acclaim with Kid A , as did (to a lesser extent) Hillsong UNITED a few years ago with Zion . It's a risky business transforming a style, however, because fans can react with great dismay after having fond memories of a band's past work and sound and seeing that go by the wayside for something "trendier." With that in mind, I took a listen to Needtobreathe's new album H A R D L O V E . The band is a Carolina-based Southern rock outfit much in the vein of Kings of Leon with more roots, but this new record scraps a lot of that for something much more produced and sonically polished. After having two albums in a row be very, very introspective and heavy ( The Reckoning and Rivers in the Wasteland ), the band is ready to have a little ...