My Favorite things about Todd Agnew
Let me tell you when it all begin. Begin, as when I became a total Todd Agnew fan. In 2002, our youth group went to the Student Life Camp at Cleveland, TN. The band happened to be Todd Agnew and he has one awesome voice that you can't just help but fall in love with, he writes his own music which is also another plus because all of his songs are great, and I became good friends with his backup singer that was there. I have recently got his new cd, which came out July 22nd, but I haven't had a chance to listen to it because my friend bought it for me and I have not received it yet, :( , but hopefully I can give you my own review of what I thought of the CD but for right now I will give you some other people's thoughts on his music.
Mark Fisher
The music really captures me on this CD. Todd Agnew is not only a great songwriter, he's also a great musician. There is nothing "typical" about "Grace Like Rain" yet the entire CD has a familiar sound that draws you in more and more with each song. The way some of the songs are blended, it's almost like you had an old immature friend that went away for awhile and came back mature. This is especially true in the title track. Todd successfully blends rock, gospel, and blues to create a CD that constantly moves forward and doesn't allow you the luxury of being able to think about what the next song will sound like because it completely wraps you in the moment on almost every track. The music here is reminiscent of Dave Matthews Band, Lifehouse, and other mainstream artists. Lyrically, Mr. Agnew is definitely a worship writer but something about this draws me in a lot more than most of today's worship artists. A lot of worship is delivered in a way so heavy that it's almost depressing, but this album makes you feel good. "Grace Like Rain" is a very uplifting album and a credit to a hum drum Christian market.
Randall Wong
So anyways, back to the review of this CD. It's a great CD! He has sort of a Dave Matthew's feel to his music, but also mixing in the contemporary style of music, with some jazz, blues, and gospel. The CD starts with an amazing cut, "Reached Down" which has a neat lil guitar riff much like Dave Matthews. Very catchy, and you'll probably be singing it for days. =P "This Fragile Breath" is next, and it's a great song that's getting a whole lot of radio play now. He has sort of the Lifehouse/Creed sound going on this one, especially with his vocals. A lot of people say Todd sounds like Eddie Vedder, and I for one agree. =)
The CD slows down a little with "Shepherd." This song shows Todd's great writing ability, weaving lyrics and music together. The title cut "Grace Like Rain" is a re-write of Amazing Grace along with a new chorus. Very rocky and very cool. I can see people using this in worship circles soon.
"Romans 12:1" a kinda 80's funk sound to it. I originally got to hear this live where he started with the chorus, and then went into the funk, and I wish he did that here as well. A very worshipful chorus on this one, something that will stay in your mind for a long time, haha. "Come Ye Sinners" is an old hymn, reworked and redone orginally by Robbie Seay of UBC and Eccelsia in Houston. Chris Tomlin's song "Kindness" is also on here, but with a very different style to it. This is where the jazzyness of his album comes into play. I have never heard Kindness done like this, and it's very fresh and different. I'm sure if it had some radio play, people would like it. It kind of reminds me of a coffee house when I heard it, lol. "Lay It Down" is another Dave Matthews' style song. Very cool. Towards the end he has the help of a gospel choir who just go wild! This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. The album finishes up with two slower songs that have a lot of power in them. "Only One Thing" is a neat song, built around God's love. It uses a portion of "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever" towards the end, and the chorus flow seemlessly. "Wait for Your Rain" finishes up the album with a very heartfelt, reverent feel to it. A very beautiful song.
To end things of there is one thing someone has to say about this album. "The album is only about an hour long, but it's a great CD. If you have one CD to pick up in July, this would be it. Todd's songs bring a fresh aspect to a kind of stale worship market currently."
*Update Soon*
My Favorite Web Sites
Todd Agnew's Official Website
Angelfire
Free Email at Hotmail
Playing Games at Shockwave
