I Choose You

Album Review

After a three-year layoff, Point of Grace return with a new member (former Truth vocalist Leigh Cappillino, who replaced founding member Terry Jones in early 2004) and a more aggressive, modern sound. I Choose You won't be mistaken for punk rock or electroclash, but its distorted guitars and drum loops do toughen up the candy shell surrounding the chocolate center that is the quartet's rich vocal harmony sound. Those musical elements don't do much to relieve the banal obviousness of their devotional lyrics, however: on "Down" they waste a lot of breath reminding God that He's big and powerful ("You are so much more than me" — well, duh), and on "For All You've Done" they manage to make Christ's atonement sound like a janitorial project ("Oh cleanser of the mess I've made" — yeesh). If you don't listen to the words very closely, though, you can float along perfectly happily on the dense and professionally gritty arrangements, the sumptuously rich vocal harmonies, and the radio-ready pop hooks. And if you find yourself starving for lyrical substance, hold on until the last track, which features an extended reading from The Pilgrim's Progress.