Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

A new album from acoustic pop duo The Nobodys is always an event in the Rimmer household ever since I discovered their music a few years back. Each album has more polish and this is their best yet! Scott Riggan and his musical partner Ben Bauman have taken their Simon & Garfunkel style lyrical acoustic pop and this time out, they've dressed it with denser arrangements without losing any of the catchiness of the melody or power of the lyrical message. Working in the same territory as Jars but with less of their lyrical ambiguity, The Nobodys are yet again produced by CCM veteran Randy Thomas and his skills continue to help the band shape a sound that suits them. Fourteen songs and one hidden unnamed rocker which I hope points the direction this band will be taking on the next album! Highlights for me include the exuberant brisk pop rock of "Ordinary Day" with its message of God's grace making everything new. Their cover of "Eleanor Rigby" is a bit of a dangerous move but they pull it off - just! "Heal Me" explodes from an understated beginning into large hooky chorus in fine fashion and "Shelter You" is a glorious atmospheric hymn to security. Two of their earlier songs have been re-worked here and sound stunning so you get new versions of "Even If" which reminds us that we need to always trust God even if circumstances tell us otherwise. The marvellous "Talk About Love" was originally featured on the 'Mindy's Revenge' compilation which highlighted so many great bands back in 1997 and the remake still sounds amazing. In the last three years they have recorded some incredible music, and the fact that this band is still unsigned remains one of Nashville's most heinous crimes against music lovers. These guys deserve to be heard.

This track data is supplied by the Cross Rhythms CD/DVD review library. Please note that CD tracks may vary according to release region or product version. You should not assume that products purchased through Cross Rhythms Direct will necessarily have identical track listings to those shown.