Plumbline – Recollection

Plumbline – Recollection / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.plumblinemusic.com /

Plumbline play a hopeful brand of Christian rock that is safe without breaking completely free of the established artists in the genre. The disc’s first track comes in “This is a Song of Hope’, and while the band does not rattle the cage or otherwise try to go in a style that has not been done before, they do provide listeners with a solid foundation. The rich instrumentation of the band during “This is a Song of Hope” will be the lure that will draw listeners in; “Run” keeps things going, with the track moving a little bit more into the blues sound than anything.

The band would do well to add a little more of an edge, but that might be my own personal preference rather than anything. The band succeeds with “Run” because of this move into a more Dave Matthews Band type of sound, and also due to the hooky chorus that graces individuals. “Take My Life” represents one of the longer tracks on the disc, and it represents one of the band’s first challenges. At around five and a half minutes, the track would spell doom for the band if it was not convincing. As can be guessed, the song is slower and more deliberate. As a praise song, it is solid, and it provides individuals with a great structure and set of arrangements. The fact that the band is able to succeed with this track is a good one, but one has to keep in mind that the band has an uphill climb with both “Heal Me” and “Bottletops” having a runtime of well over 6 minutes.

The band struggles at the beginning of “Heal Me” , but it is the distinct vocals that give the rest of the band time to get their stuff together. When the combination of drums, bass, and guitars is finally able to debut on the track, the band’s fortunes increase considerably. I do not feel that this music is different enough to succeed purely based on the sound recorded on this disc. I do not debate the ability of Plumbline during their “Recollection”, but I think that the band will have a struggle trying to reach a secular audience unless they change up their approach. Since the band’s talent should never be called into question, this shift should not be a hard one for the band. Keep notice of this band.

Top Tracks: Pain, Run

Rating: 5.4/10