Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Union of Sinners & Saints - Review of Christ the Lord is Risen Today



The Union of Sinners and Saints, featuring members of Petra and Whiteheart, two of the best-selling Christian rock bands of all time, has announced their debut radio single, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today," and it is now available for your programming consideration and review.

This initial release is from the band's upcoming self-titled debut album that will be released June 17, 2016. The single showcases John Schlitt's soaring rock vocals, and with Smiley producing, singing and playing, there are distinctive echoes of the familiar Whiteheart sound.
Fans can look forward to the release of the new CD project, available exclusively at Lifeway Christian Stores and digitally on iTunes and other popular online outlets worldwide. The project will feature ten new compositions and updated versions of Petra and Whiteheart classics.

Smiley is producing the record and bringing in an all-star cast of musicians including Brian Wooten (Whiteheart, Trace Adkins) on guitar, Chris McHugh (Whiteheart, Keith Urban) and Jon Knox (Whiteheart) on drums, Brennan Smiley (The Technicolors) on guitar, Peter Furler (Newsboys) on drums and vocals, Dave Ellefson (Megadeth) on bass and others for guest appearances on selected cuts.

Richie Biggs (Whiteheart, Petra, and The Civil Wars) is mixing the record.

My Thoughts:

The hard rock sound of electric guitars and the scream-like singing style will cause listeners to be alert when they hear the words of an old, familiar hymn.  The words are all there, and when you get to the hallelujah at the end, you will definitely hear a very celebratory sound!

I've had the pleasure of conducting a phone interview with John Schlitt, and if his faith plays even a small part in this new project, then listeners are in for quite a treat!  This is a very old-school, hard-rock sound, but the joy that fuels the words to the songs is unmistakable!  If this is your preferred music style, take a listen, because your heart will soar along with the music! 

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