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Pocket Full of Rocks’ Manifesto Falls Short
Grace S. Cartwright
CCM Magazine
Artist: Pocket Full of Rocks
Title: Manifesto
Label: Myrrh
As a follow-up to its highly acclaimed debut, Song to the King, as well as its two Dove nominations, the second project from Texan quintet Pocket Full of Rocks falls a little short.
Lead vocalist Michael Farren lacks the range of Casting Crowns’ powerhouse Mark Hall, which is needed for the charismatic “Beautiful You.” His delicate, yearning vocals are better suited to songs such as “Who Is This King?” where his David Crowder-esque stylings carry the ballad to soaring heights.
Also, the track “It Is Good to Be Here” is the best showcase of the group’s vocal and instrumentation, featuring a singable chorus and rousing drum backbeat, reminiscent of its previous single “The Welcome Song.” The band’s instrumentation succeeds on the jazz-based “Take Me There” but falters on “At the Cross” where a lackluster guitar line disappoints.
Ultimately, what Pocket Full of Rocks lacks in vocal prowess, they more than compensate for in heart. What shines through in Manifesto is the theme of grace, summed up in “Even the Worst of Us,” where the verse states, “Come you broken lonely/From the rubble find your place/ . . . greater than our demons are the open arms of grace.”
Even with a few uninspiring sequences, Pocket Full of Rocks delivers a fairly substantial second album.
© 2007 CCM Magazine. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Click here to try a free issue.
Most Recent User Comments
indycolts2k6
8/30/2007 11:24 AM
You know, I understand that you guys have to write you review of the CD's in order to stay in business, but do you guys seriously take the time to listen to some of these songs? In a day and age where everyone is just writing bubblegum and cotton candy music, there are still artists out there like Steven Curtis Chapman & Pocket Full of Rocks who don't just focus on the performance, but focus on what God is doing in and through them and simply express what that means to them. I think that shines through in PFOR's latest CD Manifesto - that's the message that I got as soon as I popped in the CD. You can tell the musicians who are focusing on the vocals themselves and the ones that are focusing more on the message of the song. If you think any of these songs are "uninspiring" you seriously need to re-evaluate some things. I hate how commercialized the Christian music industry has become. In many ways, we're no different than the secular music industry and that to me is really sad.
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