The Journey

Sounds like … melodic, electric guitar-driven pop/rock along the lines of Wilshire, Out of the Grey, and Erin O'DonnellAt a glance … though Jacob's Road doesn't offer anything radically new or innovative, the guitar pop/rock sound and pleasant vocals are strong enough to warrant a listenTrack ListingScreamI See YouRun AwayI'm YoursAll That You AreChris's SongNothingChanging Me, Changing YouI Choose YouYou UglyEscape

Coming to us from northwest Tennessee, Jacob's Road formed in March 2003 when Mark Robey and Carrie Coffey officially teamed together to share their faith through their love of rock. And despite natural comparisons to Wilshire's pop and Out of the Grey's sophisticated adult contemporary sound, this duo (not married to each other) indeed has more of a rock edge to its sound. Coffey's the stronger vocalist of the two, combining aspects of Natalie Merchant, Christine Denté, and Erin O'Donnell.

The Journey, their independent debut, is smartly produced by keyboardist Sam Mizell. What could have easily been another run-of-the-mill Christian pop disc is rendered with beefy electric guitars and the occasionally atmospheric keyboard. The only problem is that the album may be too soft for Christian Hit Radio and too edgy for Christian adult contemporary. Nevertheless, "I See You" (not the Rich Mullins classic) is reportedly getting a little airplay on Christian and mainstream radio stations.

While this is typical Christian pop/rock in many ways, the songs are much less clichéd than one might expect from an openly evangelistic artist. The lyrics overlaying the dark funk rock of "Chris's Song" are simple but powerful in expressing the prayer of a desperate heart. On the other end of the spectrum is the fun but too campy "You Ugly," a song about wrestling with imperfection and self-esteem. While there's nothing spectacular, The Journey is still very listenable and marks a good start for this indie duo.