Exit East – Exit East, (Fervent Records)
With a passion of “making great, intelligent music that is well-crafted and approachable, while carrying the truth of the grace of God in every minute of out lives…in good or bad,” how can you go wrong? Exit East is only months old on Fervent Records, but they are already making waves in the Christian music scene. With their debut album slated to hit store January 18, 2005, it gives music lovers something to look forward to.
The pop-rock driven sounds are lead by “Crazy,” a song about when guitarist Jon Stanley realized God is worth taking a stand for and how even if everyone else thinks he is crazy, he knows he is doing the right thing and standing up for his beliefs. “They call me crazy/ cuz I am living in the truth/ of how you love me/ is better all that I do/ and all you want from me/ is for me/ to close my eyes and see.”
In sharp contrast to the harder sounds of “Crazy,” “Me from Here” has more of a basic ballad feel. Similar to the slower sounds from The Kry, Exit East is able to capture the concept of being happy with what God wants us as Christians to be. Arguably the best track on the album, “Me from Here” also draws in the human aspect of the songwriter by hearing of a personal story of Stanley’s two boys, entrancing the listener to the story and the message he is trying to convey.
With beats ranging from ballad to techno to rock, and canvassing almost every type of music, Exit East has an aspect to appeal to just about everyone. But there is a problem they will eventually encounter: which side to expand on and become known for. They are pulling people in with plenty of radio-style hits, but each some is so different they might have trouble keeping the audience for more than a song or two.
Wondering what Exit East sounds like? You can catch them on the Absolute Favorite Christmas with their rendition of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”.
