NEEDTOBREATHE – “Rivers In The Wasteland” [Album Review]

I hadn’t heard from NEEDTOBREATHE in a long time – since The Reckoning in 2011 in fact. Turns out they were not only doing the usual band-y stuff, touring relentlessly and writing the next record. The band was grappling with some serious conflicts that almost broke them up (sibling bands are hard – speaking from personal experience here).

Nonetheless, they did what good musicians do – channel hurt, pain and turmoil into art – and are back with their latest installment. Rivers In The Wasteland is a down-to-earth, raw, honest album that stays true to its goal of bringing back music to its roots, when things were much simpler. NEEDTOBREATHE does a great job on this album by cutting out the unnecessary clutter and focusing on their well-rounded indie/alternative/bluegrass-y sound, a sound that is still iconic despite being the route that many other “Christian-but-don’t-go-by-the-label-Christian-rock” bands take.

Rivers In The Wasteland is not entirely refreshing and new, but if we’re going along with the analogy the album title implies, it certainly is a soothing drink of water for ears parched from plenty other pretentious music out there. The music makes you sway; the lyrics make you think. “Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now” is bound to be a crowd-pleaser. My personal favorite is “The Heart” – it just makes me want to reach for my cajón and ukulele-guitalele-playing roommates and jam along. With the ending track “More Heart, Less Attack”, I can’t help but think that that’s exactly what the album achieved. Good job, boys.

Track Listing:

01. Wasteland
02. State I’m In
03. Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now
04. Oh, Carolina
05. Difference Maker
06. Rise Again
07. The Heart
08. Where The Money Is
09. Multiplied
10. Brother
11. More Heart, Less Attack

Run Time: 45:30
Release Date: April 15, 2014

Check out the song “The Heart”