The relationship between Christianity and the Arts is a very messy one for many people. This mess manifests itelf for most people in music. No one is quite sure what Christians should or shouldn’t listen to, much less create. Though I have argued elsewhere that Christians making music shouldn’t feel obligated for every line of every song to have the prerequisite “Hallelujahs” and that the “Christian music industry” is more about marketing than content, there is also a place for artists with unabashedly “Christian” content. More often than not, these artists are relegated to the “Praise and Worship” category, though their music might not lend itself to coprorate singing, there just doesn’t seem any other easy way to “categorize” such artists.

Leeland is another one of these artists who will not be easily categorized. Sound of Melodies, their major label debut is due August 15 on Essential Records. According to Michael W. Smith, “Leeland is the best thing I have heard in a long, long time. I can’t stop singing the songs in my head. Great melodies. Great band. Great voice.” Essential describes them as a “progressive rock band,” which really doesn’t mean anything other than that they rock more than Michael W. Smith and not as much as Pantera.

The Essential Records news-blurb, however, does give us a bit more insight as it states that the band “credits a multitude of European rock acts as its musical influence: Travis, Coldplay, Delirious, Doves” and others. Name-dropping of this sort provides a huge clue into the band’s sound. Two artists not mentioned who ought to have been are Telecast and Tim Hughes. Both have succeeded in translating the repetitive guitar stylings of Coldplay into crescendo-building worship and Leeland continues in that tradition of adopting a popular style while making it their own.

Much of the buzz surrounding this release and this band is the fact that Leeland Mooring, the band’s namesake and key songwriter is only 17 years old. Mooring’s talent is undeniable and his love for the Lord is contagious. Leeland (the band) have succeeded where so many fail, producing an honest, heartfelt devotion to God with artistic merit and undeniable hooks. You will be humming many of these tunes long after the CD has stopped spinning, and that is a credit to the songwriting.

Lyrically, the album is undeniable worship. For example, in “Yes You Have,” Mooring sings “With Your love You have set me free, Three nails gave me liberty, so I’ll sing Your praise.” Continuing the theme of freedom through Christ, the song “Beautiful Lord” contains the line, “it’s Your mercey that has set me free.” This theme is continued throughout the album, forming a nice thread.

Musically, the ablum falls squarely within the Coldplay, Travis, Telecast vein of “euro” rock, with repeated guitar patterns and building tension as the motif. Yet the band manages to work within these cliches and still make them believable, even catchy. The one musical lowspot (at least for me) is the song “Lift Your Eyes” which adopts a very American, almost classic rock refrain. It’s not that the song isn’t good, it’s just not nearly as good as the others and it feels a bit out of place amidst the moodiness of many of the other songs. The song “Hey” also flounders a bit, falling into that ambiguous “is he talking about God or a girl” mode with the chorus, “Hey, you’re the one that I’ve been looking for and I’ve found you here.” With such strong statements of devotion to God elsewhere, this is an unfortunate misstep clothed in catchy melodies.

The band thrives when they let down their cling to the “euro” genre and incorporate a bigger sound, like on tracks such as “Too Much” which retains the same core approach while incorporating some more experimental sound structures and progressions. Little things like the tinkling xylophone of “How Wonderful” greatly expand the sound and draw the listener in. The piano and hint of strings of “Carried To the Table” are surprisingly effective as the band provides glimpses of the maturity that awaits them as their sound expands from an already solid foundation.

Fans of Coldplay, Travis and others will immediately feel at home while more adventurous listeners will also find much to enjoy. The overwhelming meditation on grace is refreshing when so many “Christian” albums simply paint with perpetual Polyanna smiles, Leeland takes the time to remind us why Christians ought to have that joy. In the words of the closing track, “Carried to the Table,” “Lifted by the Savior and cradled in His arms, I was carried to the table, seated where I don’t belong,” ending with the refrain “You carried me my God.”

“Sound of Melodies” is one of the strongest “Christian” releases this year and a promising debut. Let’s just pray that the band can stay true to their vision as expressed by Jack Leeland, “What people hear on the record is five young guys that have hearts to glorify God. That’s what it’s all about for us: Declaring to God and to people how amazing He is.”

• Preorder Leeland’s “Sound of Melodies”
• Visit Leeland’s Myspace page

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