Jimmy Needham's upcoming Inpop Records release, "Speak," sizzles with creativity and urgency. Draw big red circles around Aug. 15 and get thee to a music store.
Fresh and vibrant, "Speak" is a full meal, with Needham's quirky vocals, intricate arrangements and wide range of styles satisfying completely. He loves to switch things up on you, going from a rambunctious in-your-face calling out (the fantastic bouncy wake-up call, "Fence Riders") to the passionate ballad "Dearly Loved," thick with orchestration. The nimble "Lost at Sea" comes across like beat poetry enmeshed in a bed of fuzzy guitar riffs. "For Freedom" is a percussive treat, Needham's soft crooning reminding us that it was for freedom that we were set free. He has a deep passion for the message of Christ that saturates every track winningly; the high caliber of his music earns him the right to be heard. Besides, he's having so much fun on "Speak" it's tough to argue his point.
"Make Me Sing" is a joyous finger-popping dance party, and "Wake Up" burns with thundering rock guitars and eloquent truth. Needham never holds back on the truth. Consider this lyric from standout track, the glorious "Fence Riders": "I know it don't make sense to those who ride the fence, but I'm sold out to Christ. Wake up, you're all asleep." You can't get stronger than that.
As he moves through the project, the tone slowly strips down, until the last acoustic tracks. "The Gospel" reveals his unashamed love for the message of salvation and its Sender: "The Gospel, the Gospel, She's good and she's true, she cost quite a fortune to make all things new." Closing track "Benediction" is straight-up spoken truth, as Needham challenges us again on the gospel message and our response to it. Some may take offense or be turned off. I get the feeling that Needham is fine with this, and so am I. I dug "Speak" like crazy, counting it as a long overdue fresh wind, one of the year's best.
