My Coming Day

Sounds like … the southern pop-rock stylings of bands like MercyMe, Daughtry, Casting Crowns, and Selah, with hints of Third Day and Shane & Shane.At a glance … inspirational, southern pop-rock songs that never seem to surpass, let alone stand out from, those of the likes of Mercy Me and Casting Crowns. Track ListingFrom Your HandsAlways ThereCryIn YouNot My FightOne Step AwayUnplugYou CanThe ReasonMy Coming Day

Julian Drive went from beating out 2,000 other bands to win the 2004 Exalting Him talent search, to playing for an audience of 20,000 fans at Winterfest 2005. With that kind of serious momentum behind them, the longtime indie band signed with Inpop Records just as this new album was receiving its finishing touches.

Producer Lynn Nichols (Phil Keaggy, Switchfoot) oversees a tightly performed and neatly polished product. Opening track "From Your Hands," a straight-ahead southern rocker, sets the tone for the rest of the album, though other influences do seep in, borrowing elements from 80s New Wave. "Unplug" and "Not My Fight" have Depeche-Mode type instrumental counter melodies.

There are glimpses of originality, like the opening guitar riffs of "Always There." But there are also too many songs that sound like you've heard them before. "Cry" seems like a carbon copy of any number of modern power ballads from Daughtry or Switchfoot. And the mediocre cover of Hoobastank's "Reason" adds to the familiarity.

Lyrically, the themes are occasionally relatable, such as on "One Step Away": "A thousand steps from You, saying what's the use? No mater how I try I slip and fall." But on many occasions the poetry is lost for generic statements: "Based on everything I've heard, I will spend my life standing on the word" ("Always There").

Still, there's strong musical skill and passion, so there's some promise for future projects.