Jesus Saves – Climbing Mountains Album Sampler
Jesus Saves – Climbing Mountains – Album Sampler/Singles Review
Ohhhhh…what’s this? Jesus-based music even a heathen like myself might be interested in? Cool!
Although, I do appreciate the irony that the first band that came to mind in comparison to listening to Jesus Saves as I first started up this sample set of songs from the new album Climbing Mountains was Faith No More. That was unexpected! Anyhow. I’ve long understood that faith-based music could be more than it has tended to offer over the years, and there’s definitely some potential here in that regard when it comes to the music of Jesus Saves. As I listened to “Praise His Name” I felt like I was instantly able to dig on the Alternative spin that the sound of this band has, and perhaps even more-so, I felt like I appreciated the fact that Jesus Saves was actually able to give the entire community a little somethin’ different than they’re used to receiving. This isn’t the often parodied scene of a dude with his acoustic guitar tryin’ to get the congregation to raise their hands and get excited about what’s still some kind of easy-listening tunes – no. You listen to “Praise His Name” and you can hear that there’s a full band goin’ on, and they’re unafraid to Funk it up a lil’ for ya! As to whether or not you’d think the roots of their sound would be traced back more to Faith No More or the Red Hot Chili Peppers (or why that would be endlessly amusing to most of us that know their history – Google it if ya don’t), I’ll leave that up to you – but the point is, this band has the opportunity to appeal to a whole part of the crowd that faith-based music so often tends to leave behind or frankly, not consider at all in many circumstances. Now…when it comes to the real nuts and bolts of it all, I’d be the first to tell ya that “Praise His Name” is an excellent example of a great idea that still needs plenty of tightening up, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that they’re on the right track here. There’s a looseness to “Praise His Name” that is definitely going to cost them a little bit with the listeners out there, but by the same token, it’s the same kind of artistic license that would have you interested in what they might do live from the stage, you feel me? The song itself is great, as is the majority of the playing and musicianship if I’m being real with ya – my gut tells me it’s more of a matter of this band needing more experience still in playing together as a unit overall. I can’t say that for a definitive fact, but I can tell ya that from what I can see online, this appears to be their debut record…and as I always say around these pages of ours, you should always want room to grow from where you start. Jesus Saves is more than a capable band – all they gotta do is tighten it up a bit.
I can see this being wildly appealing to a community that’s been fairly starved for selection though, for sure. As I continued into the record with “To The Mountains, Through The Snow” – I pretty much felt the exact same way as I did about the first track I heard, even though it was played in a very different style – the song is fantastic, and the band just needs to find its way to the level of cohesion it needs to reach to get that consistency out of it. All the right pieces are there though – and I’d actually argue that “To The Mountains, Through The Snow” carries more identity to it for Jesus Saves as a band than a track like “Praise His Name” does. Honestly, it’s a great freakin’ song…slow burning…acoustically-driven…it’s even got a bit of a Blues/Rock vibe to it, which I’d normally resist personally, but this is a really cleverly conceived tune. They’ve got some real assets to build around in this band…the bass player for example, would probably be in your top ten players for that particular instrument if you’re listening closely – that dude is outright exceptional. Beyond that, the vocals you’ll hear on “To The Mountains, Through The Snow” deserve a shout-out as well…I might still hear a note or a tone here & there that could potentially be a bit smoother or a better fit, but for the most part, I think the guy is a tremendous singer. The drums seem pretty steady for the most part, and played with purpose. The guitar might still need a bit of work to sharpen things up a little more, but the ideas are great. Even the bass player, who I think is outstanding and sure to be one of the most likely components of this band to impress anyone tuning into Jesus Saves, can still find ways to be a more seamless fit than we get at times. For real though…I might not be all that swayed by the lyricism in terms of becoming converted to religion & all that, but don’t get me wrong – I don’t agree with, or probably even like half the lyrics of songs I’d readily listen to all the time in ANY genre! I’d listen to a song like “To The Mountains, Through The Snow” happily even as it stands now. Bands always have space to grow on the earlier side of their career – that’s natural – so for myself personally, I’m way more interested in the ideas at the core of it all, and they have plenty.
Plus…in their defense, I think you’ll hear something in “Grateful To The One” that’ll clue you into what some of the main issues are concerning this particular record. You’d probably chop out the beginning of this track IF it was recorded piece by piece in the studio…but my gut is tellin’ me based on what I’m hearing that Jesus Saves has likely gone with a live off the floor method for this debut album. Nothing wrong with that of course – I love TONS of albums made in that style – but admittedly, the room for error is way more razor thin. That being said, it takes courage to pull off a recording with that approach, and I salute them for that. It also likely explains the organic sound of a band that has the right ideas but could still sharpen up the corners…if it’s all being played in real-time, then that’s a natural aspect nearly always found in that choice of style. You end up having to kind of flip your expectations instead – rather than pick on them for tiny flaws here & there, you end up appreciating how much has really gone right for them by recording this way. Would these songs benefit from more detailed & dedicated recording methods? Yes. I’m not gonna lie to ya about that…they would, for sure. When you’re listening to tracks like “Grateful To The One,” you get a bit of that live vibe you’d wanna hear in a recording like this, but by the same token you can’t help but wonder what smoother production could do to enhance their entire sound overall. Same thing applies though y’all…it’s a debut…none of us start off with the whole toolset that we’d wish to have at the beginning, or the experience. You work your way up to all that stuff if I’m being real with ya…but there’d be no point in doing that at all if you didn’t have the right band or the right ideas – and as I’m listening to “Grateful To The One,” all I found myself thinking about was how Jesus Saves has continually shown us track after track that they’ve got genuinely substantial material that works and a band filled with audible talent that can certainly find its way to the ears of an audience.
Think of it this way – they already sound pretty darn good…anything else they do to enhance where they’re at is a bonus at this point, and being as prepared as they are will certainly be to their benefit. As they continue forward, they’ll also have the advantage of knowing what people do/don’t respond to as well, based on everything they’ve heard from Climbing Mountains, and it’ll be up to them if they feel like this tune or that tune is worth polishing up even further in an official recording. Like, I’d probably be inclined to toss “Freedom” if I was them…at least by comparison to the strengths that the other songs reveal. On its own, I might tell ya that it’s not a bad cut, because it’s not – but if we’re comparing it to what we’ve already heard so far, “Freedom” is a distant fourth in comparison to the other three we’ve heard by this point on Climbing Mountains. So now, it’s up to them to figure out if there’s more that can be mined outta this song, or if it’s already met its max potential. Honestly, it’s hard to say…there is something here, don’t get me wrong…I listen to the stop/start movement of “Freedom” and feel like if they were to hit that kind of structure with a bit more power, intensity, and emphasis, that that could add a bit of life into the veins of this particular song. Do I think it’ll end up reaching the level of being a real standout tune like the opening three tracks? Don’t know if I’d go that far, but it’s not impossible.
Some of my favorite ideas from the guitar in Jesus Saves are found on “By The Spirit” – from the harmonics to the grittiness overall, there’s teeth in a tune like this that’ll get people paying attention. I do think that something like “By The Spirit” probably stands the most to benefit from a more dedicated recording with separated tracks & all that, if only to reduce some of the noticeable ambient amplifier sounds & such that could possibly turn a few listeners off – but I’d definitely argue that it would be well worth their time to do it, even if I’d also tell ya that a song like “By The Spirit” still ain’t gonna be a single so much as one of the deeper cuts that brings people back to listen to the album again & again. Great stuff found in each individual part of the band, and I feel like the vocals of Jesus Saves gives every song a genuine shot at being heard – they’ve got tremendous personality on the microphone, and that’s always a major advantage when it comes to music being heard inside any genre out there. This is a quality cut though, through and through…in fact, I’d probably put “By The Spirit” up there in my own top three based on the strength of the ideas it possesses. It’s fair to say it’s probably got the most room to be polished up in the studio by comparison to the rest, but I really think they’ve got a song worth pursuing in that regard. “By The Spirit” is a great way to approach things in general…there is more room for our own personal interpretation and a more ambiguous design to the lyricism that’s less pointedly direct, which allows us all to ascribe our own meanings to what ‘the spirit’ itself would be. Obviously, it’s up to Jesus Saves to decide whether or not that’s what they’re looking to create with their faith-based music, but in my personal opinion, having a few songs written like this can potentially broaden their audience.
“Liar, Liar” brought a smile to my face, genuinely. Bring it on Jesus Saves – say it with your chest, as they say! I have no problem with people proudly proclaiming their faith and playing a bit of offence with it, as opposed to shying away from what they believe in – why would I? If you’re a true believer, in my opinion, you should own that! “Liar, Liar” makes it crystal clear that they do, that’s for sure – and like I said, even though I wouldn’t personally agree with their perspective or point of view on this particular song, I’m fully understanding that our beliefs are diametrically opposed to each other. Here’s where the rubber meets the road though…because I can accept that, and I’d only assume that they’d be willing to do the same…it’s entirely up to them if they wanna prove me wrong about that. I have no problem at all in accepting that people are gonna believe what they believe, and I’d be the last person to tell ya that you should simply side with my own personal viewpoint instead of your own. I was raised religiously and had no problem walking away from all that stuff when I had the first available option to. Where a track like “Liar, Liar” becomes way more problematic than what its concept revolves around, in my opinion, is that being a part of the faith-based community can end up putting you in a position like this, where even when you’re swinging big against opposing views, it can fall a little flat as a result of not being able to incorporate language that’s more directly forceful in an effort to maintain a politeness that wouldn’t apply to any other kind of music, you feel me? So…I mean…look at it this way – while directly confronting those that would believe in evolution, they’re still combating them with the whole “liar, liar, pants on fire” rhyme from your elementary school playground days as the main form of attack…and that ain’t gonna be enough to get a rise out of…well…anyone really. From my personal perspective, they’ve written a lot of insightful arguments into this song, and the main hook takes what could be more hard-hitting substance into a more juvenile arena with the whole “liar, liar, pants on fire” dealio. That’s how I’m hearing it. I’m certainly not offended by anything that’s being said…again, how could I be? I’m just as comfortable in my beliefs as they are in theirs, and I feel like there’s more than enough room on this planet for both to exist. Will they feel the same way? Maybe, maybe not – but I give them major credit for putting out a song like “Liar, Liar” that at least makes their intentions and mission fully clear as day. Decent song though…while it is obviously more divisive in terms of who is going to appreciate its lyrical content and who won’t, the gentle rhythm & groove behind it is still genuinely inviting to listen to – the main hooks are quite catchy.
They’ve got some solid stuff goin’ on here! I feel like Jesus Saves could definitely make a name for themselves inside the faith-based community, especially compared to so much of what’s currently out there in that particular corner of this music scene we share. They’ve got plenty of room to evolve grow, but that’s always something that should be embraced with open arms this early on into a career. Objectively speaking, they’ve got ideas, they’ve got talent, and they’ve got potential…the more they attack their tunes with the confidence and purpose of their conviction, the further that they’re going to go.
Find out more about Jesus Saves at their official Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jesussavesgodbless
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