Mike's Mini Music Review: Newsboys - In The Hands of God

I have a general rule for albums: If there are three good songs on it (read: three songs I really like), I don't regret the purchase.

By that standard, the Newsboys' brand new album, In The Hands of God, is a fine purchase, as it passes my general rule, with a minimum of three songs that I'll listen to lots. The title track has been a big hit on Christian radio, and as I've written about before, it's a song that really surprises you with the way it builds. My Friend Jesus is a rather amusing ditty about - wait for it - being on hold with tech support. No, really. But that's what makes the song work - it pulls something profound out of something so mundane. (It's a song that I'd expect to hear Relient K or Stellar Kart sing, actually.) Lead Me to the Cross is a pretty powerful worship oriented ballad.

The rest of the album? Eh ... it's a decidedly mixed bag. Dance starts out really well, but the chorus doesn't work for me. The Way We Roll is just OK. But The Upside is kinda nifty - kind of a throwback summer song that you'd play with your windows down.

Worth picking up if you're a fan of the Newsboys.