I Have a Dream (It Feels Like Home)

iTunes Review

This Ontario-bred quintet follows its promising debut EP with a set of songs mixing elements from modern British rock (especially U2 and Keane) with folk and traditional gospel. Frontman Elias Dummer’s crisp, driving keyboards and forceful yet vulnerable vocals set him apart from his peers in worship-oriented Christian rock. With his bandmates, he delivers tunes that range from the anthemic (“Yours,” “Wake Me Up”) to the reflective (“Le Reve,” “Benediction”). “Spark” and “Mountaintop” widen the album’s scope by drawing on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech for both themes and language. Reinforcing the songwriting's quality is the band’s sense of dynamics; tracks like “Be Still, O My Soul” and “Holy (Wedding Day)” display orchestral grandeur as they rise from quiet openings to dramatic crescendos. Piano predominates here, though “Love” is built around a wistful acoustic guitar line. A radio edit of The City Harmonic’s breakthrough tune “Manifesto” adds further heft to an album distinguished by fine craftsmanship and fervency.