- Save Me
- Because of the Blood
- More Than Everything
- Tomorrow
- To Be A Hero
- Back to the Cross
- Broken
- Alive
- Every Breath
- Never Again
- Angel's Song
There's a delicate balance that must be achieved to actually get a song played on the radio, be it Christian or mainstream. If a band's deemed too "out of the box," the chances are slim—very slim. Yet even a strong hook and a catchy chorus may not be enough to guarantee spins, so some sense of individuality is key. Let's face it—radio airplay is an inexact science, which is why most bands survive by a simple mantra: Just do what you do and don't worry about where it ends up. Of course, like so many things, that idea works more in theory than in practice.
Take this self-titled debut from Ohio band Our Heart's Hero. They amassed a considerable grassroots following before signing to Gotee, which isn't surprising given the group's sturdy musicianship and knack for writing songs that tailor-made for Christian radio. But therein lies the flaw with been-there-heard-that songs such as the lead single "Back to the Cross" and youth-group friendly worship anthems like "Broken," "Alive," and "Every Breath." It seems like Our Heart's Hero is trying too hard to fit a format rather than offer something distinctive or new.
Make no mistake, the band's overall sound and production values are certainly on par with Switchfoot and The Fray, and the mostly praise-oriented lyrics recall previous hits by Delirious and Sanctus Real. But there's nothing here that says, "Hey! This is the Our Heart's Hero sound." Instead, the album comes off sounding like a bad case of Christian rock dé jà vu.
There are moments, like the heartfelt "To Be A Hero" and the affirming "Because of the Blood," that demonstrate glimpses of promise. And it's certainly a likeable enough sound. But unfortunately, there simply are not enough adventurous moments to make this band's debut particularly memorable.