Can't Stop the Rock (CD - 1991)

Additional personnel: Jeff Scott Soto (vocals), John Purdell, John Van Tongren, Billy Myers, Brent Jeffers (keyboards), Brad Cobb (bass), Tom Werman (percussion), Steven Croes, Chris Currell (programming).

Producers include: Stryper, Ron Goudie, Michael Wagener, Stephan Galfas, Michael Sweet.

Engineers include: Michael Wagener, Stephan Galfas, Dan Nebenzal.

This compilation spans the years 1984-1991, and contains 2 previously unreleased songs.

Personnel: Michael Sweet (vocals, guitar); Oz Fox (guitar, background vocals); Tim Gaines (keyboards, background vocals); Robert Sweet (drums); Jeff Scott Soto (background vocals).

Though Can't Stop the Rock isn't the last word on Stryper, it does a decent job of summarizing the Christian rockers' contributions. Drawing on five Stryper albums and providing two new songs ("Believe" and "Can't Stop the Rock"), the CD contains some essential tracks (including "To Hell with the Devil," "Free," and "Soldiers Under Command"), as well as some that listeners can do without. The saccharine, fluffy ballads "Together as One" and "Honestly" may be among Stryper's best-known songs, but neither are even a fraction as exciting as their cover of Earth, Wind & Fire's 1975 funk smash "Shining Star," included on the more comprehensive 18-track collection 7: The Best of Stryper, released in 2003. Nevertheless, if one is checking out Stryper for the first time, Can't Stop the Rock isn't a bad place to start. ~ Alex Henderson minimize