Unveil (CD - 2007)

Personnel: Jeff Deyo (vocals); Jeff Deyo; Justin Burns, Melissa Santiago, Sarah Sellari, Eric "Booty" Greene, Justin Burns, Eric Greene (vocals); Trent Swartzentruber, Curt Gibbs (electric guitar); Paul Nelson (cello); Sammy Correa (bass guitar); Lou Santiago, Jr. (drums); The Kurnoll, Mark Woodward (loops); Chuck Butler (acoustic guitar); David Davidson (violin, strings); Ric Robbins (turntables).

Audio Mixer: J.R. McNeely.

Recording information: The Playground; The Truckstop; Worship City Studios.

Photographer: David Bean.

Arrangers: Jeff Deyo; Sammy Correa.

Jeff Deyo's fourth solo album embodies the tug of war that is contemporary worship music. As innovatively as Deyo can put together crunchy guitar chords and sensible pop, how much of a legacy has he created without saying anything truly unique lyrically? This is the typical push and pull for worship artists, who are expected to find new ways to express their love of God without altering the underlying message. Deyo's passionate calling hasn't changed since heading Sonicflood, yet a change in direction might be what fans and critics expected by this point. Unveil shines with pulsating sonic rock. Though lightweight on lyrical significance, you'll want to crank up the volume to 10 for the pounding beats on "So in Awe" and "More in Love." At once catchy and open-ended, Unveil seems to take the approach that listeners will embrace its tightly produced rock for its simplistic, easily relatable messages -- rather than in spite of them. ~ Jared Johnson minimize