What I Was Made For [11 Tracks] (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Jeff Roach (piano, keyboards); Jeremy Redmon (keyboards, programming).

Additional personnel: BarlowGirl (vocals); Ken Lewis (percussion); Anna Redmon (background vocals); Fred Hammond, Jeff Roach.

Audio Mixers: Shane D. Wilson; Bryan Lenox.

Recording information: Platinum Lab, Nashville, TN; Reflections, Nashville, TN; The Spank Factory, Nashville, TN; Twelve-18 Sound Lands, Brentwood, TN.

Editors: Jeremy Redmon; Chris Henning; Shane D. Wilson.

Arranger: Otto Price.

Groovy contemporary rock group Big Daddy Weave stick to a well-worn path on What I Was Made For, a straightforward collection of modern praise anthems. The quintet's peppy, uptempo rock isn't more than a stone's throw away from the likes of Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns, and MercyMe. But where those artists may occasionally attempt to address issues like social pressure or sexual transgressions, Big Daddy Weave keep things light and buoyant. Considering the album came during what critics dubbed "the year of the worship album," the boys seemed to make a refreshing name for themselves by plowing ahead with their free-spirited rock rather than reverting to an unplugged sound like Jars of Clay's Redemption Songs. A solid rhythm section and easily digestible guitar licks put meat on the bones where lyrics for the most part remain quite thin. The grooves are strongest on later tracks like "Killing Me Again" and "Give Up, Let Go." The singalong duet "You're Worthy of My Praise," featuring BarlowGirl, was a number one Christian hit. ~ Jared Johnson minimize