Know Hope Collective (Deluxe Edition)

iTunes Review

Ex-Audio Adrenaline members Mark Stuart and Will McGinniss form the core of Know Hope Collective, a loosely gathered assortment of Christian singers, songwriters and musicians. Stuart’s compelling backstory — including years of struggle with vocal problems and a painful divorce — inform many of the tunes here. From the spiritual re-awakening captured in “Attention” to the wounded confessional tone of “Jealous God,” these tracks carry the truthful ring of experience. Julia Ross (from the group Everlife) joins Stuart as duet partner on fresh, newly-relevant versions of the Audio Adrenaline favorites “Hands and Feet,” “Ocean Floor” and “Good Life.” Central to the album is the yearning “Build Us Back,” a Stuart-composed number dealing with both the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the worldwide struggle to escape spiritual desolation. In a real sense, the album as a whole is about rebuilding shattered lives by the light of faith. The manic pop/rock energy that Stuart and McGinniss displayed in Audio Adrenaline has channeled into something more mature and resonant in Know Hope Collective.