Matty Mullins "Unstoppable" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 1.5/5 Stars

Matty Mullins, most known for being the vocalist of Memphis May Fire, is someone that I have a lot of respect for. It's never easy being a Christian on a secular label that often looks down on religion. But Matty has never been afraid to be outspoken about his faith, although admittedly he's done it more cleverly at times ("The Hollow"), while at other times his lyrics can tread on being a little too preachy ("Unconditional"). But still, I love that Matty is unashamed in his faith, and has tried to use MMF to bridge the gap between secular and Christian audiences. It's certainly admirable. It didn't surprise me too much when Matty decided to start a solo project. His debut album was overall decent. I'd even say songs like "Back to Square One" and "Glory" can compete with some of the best songs MMF has done. But the album does also offer some generic material such as "My Dear" and the overly poppy "99% Soul". Recently, I've had quite a few problems with Matty. I absolutely hated the most recent MMF album (in fact, it was ranked number 2 on my worst albums of 2016). This new solo album is unfortunately worse than that album, meaning it's the worst thing I've ever heard coming from Mullins.

There are very few positives to be mentioned in this album. No song on here can be construed as anything interesting or great. The only song on here that I can say I enjoy is "The Great Unknown". Mullins' vocal talent shows more on this song than any other and the lyrics are decent. I wouldn't complain if this song popped up on Christian radio. The beginning track "Say It All" is passable. The lyrics do feel like they  are trying to connect to the audience in a legitimate way instead of pandering. The rest cannot be said for the rest of this album.

In an interview with JesusFreakHideout, Matty admitted that a lot of what he listens to now is on Christian radio stations. That is most certainly reflected through all of this album, as pretty much every other song checks every box for what is needed to have success on Christian radio. "I Choose You" is a great example of this, as it starts off with some annoying vocal effects (it seems that now a lot of Christian radio is doing that in an attempt to sound like top 40 billboard charts). The only instrumentation is some piano playing, but it is absolutely drowned by the overbearing electronic effects; the piano might as well not even be there. Matty's vocals are processed to no end; his voice sounds disingenuous as a result. It feels like he has no passion in the lyrics he's saying, but that could also be because these lyrics spout off multiple Christian cliches. The title track "Unstoppable" is the worst track on this whole album, just because it tries to be upbeat but somehow fails in every aspect. Matty once again sounds bored, and the the chorus is forcing its dance-pop feel so much that it comes across as annoying more than anything else. I'm not the biggest fan of Jordan Feliz, and his feature is awful here, as he and Matty sound way too similar. This song points out a problem with a lot of Christian male solo artists at this point: you can't tell them apart. And oh man, the lyrics of this song are cringe worthy: "Through the night/In the darkest times/I believe his light still shines/This love is unstoppable". Is there any real truth about God found in these lyrics? No, there isn't; instead it's just comfortable happy-go-lucky sentiments about God that will work perfectly on Christian radio. It would be an understatement to say I despise everything about this song.

It's a struggle to listen to this album because of just how explicit Matty is in letting everyone know how much he wants to have success on the radio. "Go the Distance" and "Christ Be Magnified" both sound like they could be right at home on any other worship album. They both express a lot of sentiments about God that I've heard plenty of other times. Just consider these lyrics in "Go the Distance": "Lord, You hear my every cry, and You come running every time". Or how about these lyrics in "Christ Be Magnified": "The heavens reign/Declaring all the fathers majesty/And we believe/In his son". These exact phrases have been stated by so many other Christian artists, and they don't work any better in this album. It's especially disheartening coming from Matty, who I know has written smart lyrics about God in the past (just consider Matty's broken prayer for redemption in "The Sinner" or his admission to God about his addiction to alcohol in "Vices"). Another contributing factor to how generic this album feels is that it was made under BEC Records. It's saddening to think that Matty actually wanted to sign with this label. I think it's because he know their label makes money. They churn out the same type of CCM songs every year, and he is now a part of that sickening cycle. If Matty thinks that the music he's making is of a high caliber, then he is delusional. More forgettable tracks appear in the acoustic-led "Brand New Fire" and all three closing tracks, which all come and go without leaving any sort of impact.

As you can tell, I'm struggling to really say much about this album besides on recurring thing: it's generic and boring. I wouldn't have written a review about this album if it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to vent how sad I am at the road that Matty has went down. He used to be able to bring audiences together in Memphis May Fire, especially in one of the best metalcore albums out there, "The Hollow". But, now he's only interested in pandering to a radio Christian audience, as was evidenced in "This Light I Hold" and now his newest solo effort. I am glad that Matty wants to be bold in his faith. But, this album is going to get lost in the huge garbage pile of CCM albums that are all out there. A lot Christian radio music is in a sad state, and it's artists like Matty Mullins who only serve to validate it, and make radio audiences think what they are listening to is fine. For that reason, I can't respect this record.

Favorite Songs: "The Great Unknown", "Say It All"
Least Favorite Songs: "Unstoppable", "Christ Be Magnified", "I Choose You",  "Go The Distance", "Brand New Fire", "Until I Need You"

"13 Reasons Why" TV Series Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Suicide is not an issue that should be glossed over by any means. However, for some reason in America, it's not paid that much attention. It's the tenth leading cause of death. There are at least 121 suicides per day. That is a really tough number to swallow. Shows often struggle to talk about suicide, and for good reason. It's a delicate issue that has no easy answer. Enter "13 Reasons Why", a Netflix original adapted from the original novel by Jay Asher. This show tells the story of Clay Jensen, who receives tapes that include thirteen reasons why his friend and love interest Hannah Baker decided to kill herself. On each tape is a name of a person who was a reason why she committed suicide, and Clay's name is on one of the tapes.

This show really works for the most part, and even tends to be better than the source material it was based on (I hardly ever say that for an adaptation, so know that this a significant claim). One of the things that this show does best is showing the multiple ways people deal with loss. It's often heartbreaking to see, but it is true to life. Clay constantly questions whether he's actually a decent person, and that maybe he really wasn't as good a friend to Hannah as he originally thought. He even tells his mom at one point "Maybe I'm the bully. Maybe we're all the bullies." It's a powerful statement that makes you think about how your words and actions can affect another person. Other characters go through various states of dealing with this loss, some of them in denial, others angry, and so on.  Hannah's parents give some of the most painful and heartbreaking reactions. Addressing grief is never easy to do in a visual medium; it can sometimes come across as forced. But in this show, it's raw and real. People's sadness doesn't feel like a cheap and manipulative move to get a reaction out of the audience. Instead the emotion that comes from watching the show feels legitimate and important.

Another thing this show does so well is have multi-dimensional characters. YA movie adaptations often struggle with this. Movies such as "The Hunger Games", "Divergent", and "Percy Jackson" have all suffered from weak teenage characters who you couldn't connect to. The novel "13 Reasons Why" boasted a lot of fleshed out high school characters, and that transfers perfectly into the TV version. This is also due to the incredible performances by many of the actors. Katherine Langford gives a beautiful turn as Hannah Baker. She does not just make this character someone to pity because she killed herself. Instead, I came to really like this character, and see her as a funny, charismatic, and loving girl. She often seems confident in the show and very sure of herself. But that doesn't mean she's immune to the harsh bullying that happens to her. It's hard to watch this highly likeable girl get slowly but surely warn down by all the things that people do to her, which range from the sad to the downright disgustingly evil. High school bullying is a reality in this show, and the show makes sure to emphasize that even the best of people can be worn down by it if it happens enough. Dylan Minnette gives far and away the best performance of the show as main character Clay Jensen. We see him discovering what happens to Hannah, and we sympathize for him as he gets more and more saddened by realizing all the little things that wore Hannah down. Minnette gives his character a certain stoicism; this character does not just stand by and do nothing about Hannah's suicide. Instead, he stands up to the people who hurt her; he questions them and he questions himself. The chemistry Minnette and Langford have on screen is charming, but also profoundly sad because the friendship is cut way too short. Other performance highlights come from Christian Navarro as Clay's elusive friend Tony, Kate Walsh's powerful and compelling portrayal of Hannah's mother, and Alisha Boe giving an incredibly sympathetic performance as Jessica. This show's ability to give us fully realized characters in high school students and adults gives it an edge over almost every YA adaptation.

Before getting into some of the problems of the show, I wanted to briefly address the controversy this show has started to get across all social media. A lot of people are claiming that this show's portrayal of Hannah's struggles with suicide are not accurate to real life. The component of her struggling with mental illness is not addressed (as people with suicide tend to have mental illness) and having people being blamed as the reason for her suicide is simply wrong. The person who made the choice ultimately to end their life was Hannah, not anyone else. Also, people are annoyed by one of the show's ruminations on what could've been done to save Hannah. Clay claims that if he'd loved Hannah, maybe he could've saved her. The counselor he talks to responds, "You can't love someone back to life". Clay replies, "You can try". Now, don't get me wrong, a part of me gets where people are coming from. The show can give us graphic moments of rape scenes, yet it can't show us Hannah struggling mentally? I would say this was a problem, but I'm not sure that people are getting the point of this show. It's about how horrible bullying can be. It can actually affect an individual, and it can wear them down if it goes on for long enough. That's why Hannah killed herself. She experienced one horrible thing after another, all by other people's words and actions. The people around Hannah did contribute to her feeling like she had no other way out. It's human nature to not want to be held accountable for something. I think that Clay is onto something when he calls out people for the part they played. At the same time, the show does say that blaming other people is too singular an answer. I don't think the show ever has characters arriving at any sort of accurate conclusion as to what they could've done to help Hannah, because there was nothing they could do. As for the "love can save someone" trope, that complaint just feels invalid. It's one way of Clay trying to think through how he could've saved Hannah. It feels like at the end of the show he realized he shouldn't put all the pressure on himself; no one should have to do that. What I'm getting at is that these complaints don't feel entirely warranted. I'm open to discussion about it, because I'm not going to pretend like I know everything about this topic, but I don't think anyone can. 

There are some problems with this show. They're not glaring problems, but they're still present. One is that the show sometimes feels too long. On one hand it makes sense to divide this show into 13 episodes, with one tape per episode. But, each episode is one hour long, and that makes it meander on for a little too long sometimes. If the episodes were trimmed down or even if it had less episodes it could've felt more concise. Also, it seems a little farfetched that Clay would be going through Hannah's tapes so slowly. It seems like it would be urgent for him to finish these tapes with how much he cares for her. The reasoning the show gives for him going so slow is flimsy at best. The show also ends on a somewhat forced cliffhanger; I don't know if a season 2 is necessary.

Overall, "13 Reasons Why" might be the best YA adaptation to date. It keeps the source material intact while adding some new elements to it that might actually make the show a little better than the book, which is a rare occurrence these days. This is an important show, one that I think needs to be watched by everyone. It is graphic at times, but this show shouldn't be an easy watch. It isn't by any means, as it shows in heartbreaking detail people grieving and also shows how a charismatic, loving girl was broken down by what other people did to her, whether it was intentional or not. If you watch this show, I hope you don't love it; this isn't a show that should be loved. Instead, watch it mindful of the important messages the show portrays.

"Beauty and the Beast" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Disney has dominated the movie industry a long time. It's very well known that one of the movies that really pushed them forth in being industry giants was "Beauty and the Beast", a magical story about a young woman named Belle who falls in love with a Beast and softens his cold heart. Audiences fell in love with it, and with good reason. It's one of my personal favorite of the Disney princess series, as it has one of the most dynamic female protagonists in Belle, a sympathetic flawed person in the Beast, a delightfully despicable villain Gaston, and some of the best characters Disney has made in Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts. The Disney version of this fairy tale has gone down in infamy, especially in its famous songs like the title song, "Be Our Guest", and "The Mob Song". It's no wonder that Disney would eventually make this into a live action movie. It's the highest box-office live action Disney movie, and it's also the only live action one that's a musical. The question is, how does this version fare?

One of the things that this adaptation really has going for it is its production values. This movie is absolutely gorgeous. The set pieces simply jump off the screen, especially the beautifully adorned castle. It really does feel like you are in an enchanted land, as even the town, which is supposed to be the normal world, still has a certain charm to it. A lot of moments in the movie, I was trying my best to pay attention to the story while still admiring the background because of all the immaculate detail that went into it. One of the best moments that really shows all the work that went into the visuals is where Belle and the Beast were dancing. The camera shows all the grandeur of the room they're in, and then there is this lovely moment where all of this candle lighting appears to create a look that can only be experienced by watching this movie. The song "Be Our Guest" also had a lot of creativity in its visuals, having a lot of bright colors. This may well be the strongest part of the movie: its look is practically perfect. It doesn't ever feel overpowering; instead it adds to the magic. The look has been the major strength of every live action adaptation, and I feel the same way with this one.

The most important part of this movie is, of course, the story and songs. Let's talk about the songs first. It should be mentioned that Disney would have a tough time really replicating the feeling the famous songs of the original animated version had; those versions have been ingrained in people's heads for years. I am happy to say that almost all the songs are really well-done. "Be Our Guest" is one of the highlights, as Ewan McGregor shows off his singing abilities and still manages to keep the character qualities Lumiere has intact through his singing. Emma Thompson was a perfect choice to do "Beauty and the Beast"; in fact, she sounds as good as the original Angela Lansbury version. Thompson made sure to honor the source material by keeping her voice soft and delicate (unlike the over-the-top Ariana Grande and John Legend version that sadly went to top 40 pop charts). Kevin Kline adds some raw emotion to "How Does a Moment Last Forever", and I also liked what all the enchanted pieces contribute to "Days in the Sun". My favorite song came from the Beast in "Evermore". It carries a different type of emotion than "If I Can't Love Her", but it still works effectively all the same. Dan Stevens' voice shines on this song, and the backing orchestral accompaniment is gorgeous. "The Mob Song" and "Gaston" are pure fun. Unfortunately the more problematic songs come from Emma Watson in "Belle", "Something There", and her version of "How Does a Moment Last Forever". Her voice has some clear auto tune manipulations, and it can be very distracting. Her voice is so manipulated it often has an artificial beauty to it.

The story is often good, including the backstories and how the creators change some of the characters, is often good but it can have its flaws as well. I love the backstory they gave to the Beast, as it gave him some reason to be so bitter. Although I do like how they shrouded the original Beast in mystery, this story added more sympathy to the character. It was also an interesting choice to make Gaston have PTSD. They don't use that as an excuse for his evil nature, but they do say that could contribute party. Gaston is also far more evil in this version; in fact, he's pretty much a psychopath. That made his character more frightening and more of a force to be reckoned with. Maurice's character was changed as well. Instead of being just a sort of bumbling inventor, he is more a smart artist with a tragic backstory in losing his wife. This made Maurice far more interesting. I'd say he's the only character that's done better here than in the original movie. There were some other parts of the story that I didn't care for. The Enchantress became slightly more prominent in this version, and I don't think that worked. She would do better to just be in the beginning and nowhere else. Also, the backstory with Belle's mother and how she died felt more like filler, and it was passed over too quickly for the audience to register feelings for Belle. Finally, I didn't like how they showed the enchanted pieces in human form at the beginning of the movie, as it took away from the mystery of what they would look like in the end. I think a lot of the stories could've been taken out or not extended upon as much.

The acting in the movie, much like the story, has some strong and weak points. I was surprised to find my favorite character was Maurice, and that was in large part due to Kevin Kline's superb performance. He added quite a bit to this character, making him have a certain intelligence to him that's been lacking in this character previously. I felt more weight in him caring for Belle, as she is the only connection he has left in his life. Instead of often laughing at Maurice, I felt for him, and that was a change I liked. Maurice was also not an entirely weak character, and his arc by the end of the movie is touching and well-earned. Dan Stevens also does very well as The Beast. I liked his interpretation, and the way he changed from going to tough and cold-hearted to soft and friendly was believable. Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellan, and Emma Thompson were all great in their respective roles of Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts. They all made their characters similar to the original movie while adding some of their own personality to them. All of them are likeable, and I liked getting to know them. Stanley Tucci also deserves honorable mention as the Maestro. I liked this new character, as he had his own interesting story. Luke Evans as Gaston makes a suitably menacing villain.

The weak performances were a little bit disheartening for me. Emma Watson as Belle has a few strong moments (primarily in interacting with Maurice and Gaston), but overall she didn't work for me, which was disappointing. I had been sure she would be the best choice for the character, as Watson embodies a lot of the same personality as Belle does. But, she is only mediocre in this movie. She doesn't seem invested when interacting with the enchanted pieces. I guess that could be because they are CGI. Then again, the actor who played Mowgli in the live action "The Jungle Book" did an excellent job at interacting with all CGI characters. She did not reciprocate the chemistry that Dan Stevens provided her; I never got the impression that she really cared for the Beast. As I mentioned before, her songs feel artificially pretty. She doesn't even seem to enjoy singing them, instead just going through the motions. Overall she does well when interacting with characters that aren't CGI, but every time there is a CGI character (which is a lot of the time) she falters. Josh Gad as LeFou was simply not interesting, and probably the weakest performance in the whole movie. I loved the comedy he provided in the original, but he's not very funny here. It's only in his song "Gaston" where I felt anything funny coming from him.  Audra McDonald as the Wardrobe didn't add anything fun to her character, and all the actors who played the Silly Girls looked bored every moment they were on screen. Hattie Morahan as the Enchantress was ok, but I still feel like her presence was unneeded.

I still am surprised to find myself saying that "The Jungle Book" is the best Disney live action adaptation to date, but that might be because I was never a big fan of the original. Overall, "Beauty and the Beast" is a solid movie. It does have its weak points. Emma Watson being one of the weaker points is problematic, and a few of the songs sounding artificial is disappointing. Still, the movie looks absolutely gorgeous, most of the songs are really good (my favorites are easily "Evermore", "Be Our Guest", "Beauty and the Beast", and "The Mob Song"), and there are many performances that really shine, especially Kevin Kline's. I certainly recommend seeing this movie. It may not be a perfect adaptation, but it is still enjoyable. Despite its imperfections, it still holds a type of magic that only Disney can create.

Demon Hunter "Outlive" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

If you've read my most recent post, then you know I love Demon Hunter. Not only have I counted down my top 10 songs by them, but they are also a part of my top 10 bands of all time. As I've said before, there's plenty of good reason for that. One of those reasons is how they don't have a single weak album in their discography. They've always managed to keep their signature sound in tact while making subtle changes to it. Their most recent release "Extremist" was met with mixed reception as many considered it to be too soft. Personally, I thought it was a great album, even if it did have some flaws. How do they follow up that album?  Now we have "Outlive", DH's eighth studio album which is their most different sounding as well as most accessible record yet. I promise you, that is far from a bad thing.

"Outlive" gets off to a great start with "Trying Times", an intro with all clean vocals that does a good job at establishing what this album's genre is going to be: hard rock. Like most starting tracks, this song is an interesting listen. I love how Ryan's clean vocals sound somewhat foreboding, and the building guitar riffs and drum patterns made me very excited to get into this album. This intro track has a very good pay off with one of the most intense songs on the album, "Jesus Wept". This song feels like it could belong on one of the band's earlier works. The song is just as intense if not more than tracks like "Crucifix" or "The World Is a Thorn". Like most of the band's all unclean vocal-based songs, this one has a tough message, as Ryan Clark repeatedly acknowledges "I'm why Jesus wept". He's acknowledging that he is indeed a flawed human being and that Jesus wept for him because of that. I love that DH continue to boldly proclaim their faith, and this is one of their most profound as I don't recall the band ever saying Jesus's name in any of their other songs. One of the lead singles "Cold Winter Sun" follows. While this song follows the DH formula to a tee (an establishing guitar riff, unclean verses, clean chorus, guitar solo), I still can't help but enjoy it. The song feels instantly familiar because of how distinctly Demon Hunter it is, and I can see this one becoming a fan favorite.

"Died In My Sleep" is the first song that sounds completely different for Demon Hunter, and I love it for that very reason. Ryan has made it clear via his side project NYVES that he loves electronic music, and some of that influence bleeds into this song. There are electronic flares all over the track, and it makes it sound absolutely dynamic. Ryan also uses his higher vocal register quite a bit, and I liked the change of pace, as it made for a more upbeat sounding song (that is something that happens quite a bit on this record). The highlight of this song is the guitar work for sure; the guitar riffs done here are so strong and instantly stick out. I can't get enough of them, and I go repeatedly back to this song just to listen to them. "Cold Blood" has a solid metal groove to it. That groove is especially established with some more solid guitar and drum work. Ryan's unclean vocals sound a bit more intense here compared to some other songs on the album, which makes the track feel like it has more power behind it. But the chorus of this song is the shining factor of it, as it is beautiful. Yes, believe it or not, metalcore bands do have the ability to make beautiful sounding choruses. The song talks powerfully about how trying to make material gains in the world will only leave you feeling hollow inside: "Your contribution/A desperate display of brokenness/It's all the same now/Same paper crown by lesser means". This is one of the best lyrical moments on the album.

"One Step Behind" is the only ballad-like song on  "Outlive" (even though there are some alt rock elements in it), making it unique. Its emotional heft is what really lifts this song above many of the other songs on this album. The subject of this song is about Ryan's first child, who he and his wife had in the midst of this record being written. It's a song of encouragement for his child and the lyrics can easily make one feel emotional: "Breathe in, breathe out the light/And leave your shadow behind/For this day your pain is mine/So let me carry the weight". Ryan has shown plenty of vulnerability on all of the band's other releases, but this is a different kind of vulnerability. The sacrificial nature Ryan shows here shows fatherly devotion, and it reflects God in some ways. The musicality of this track really compliments the emotion. The electronic elements used do not feel at all forced, instead adding to the vibe. "The End" is a solid hard rock anthem that reminds of something Disciple could do (which is totally a compliment). The small breakdown in the song is also really fun, and the chorus is incredibly catchy. "One Less" has a death metal vibe to it and is easily the most intense song on the album. Needless to say that I enjoyed this one, and this one should be enjoyed by fans of DH's harder work. The two best songs of the album come at the very end, which makes this album closing stronger compared to some of the other band's releases. "Patience" is such a fun rock jam. It also takes some surprising turns in dynamics, which makes its five minute run time worth it. The chorus is also in a major, upbeat key, which is not typical of Demon Hunter. The closing track "Slight the Odds" is my personal favorite and may well be one of the best songs the band has ever done. This song is epic in every sense, starting with some beautiful strings before launching into huge guitar riffs that combine with the strings. This creates a symphonic rock track that puts Skillet to shame. The lyricism of this track is nothing short of inspiring: "Cut my teeth against the grain/Let me die without the pain (or live to slight the odds)/Same old trouble after all/Will I go before I fall (or live to slight the odds)". Ryan hopes that he'll die with his faith intact, and while he lives he'll defy the odds and remain a Christian no matter what happens. The message could've come across as cheesy, but instead it turns into something that I'm will have fists raised high in a live setting. It would be an understatement to say I love everything about this track.

There are a few weak moments in this album. I've tried repeatedly to get into "Half as Dead", but I just can't. It's one of DH's weakest songs to date. People say that "Hell Don't Need Me" is boring, but this song is far worse. The guitar work here sounds surprisingly lazy for the band, and Ryan sounds almost bored. The lyrics are somewhat cryptic and cliched too, although they aren't nearly as bad as the musical laziness. "Raining Down" is the one rock track here that doesn't work for me. Ryan's vocals don't vary much at all, instead staying at one tone in the chorus which makes for an unmemorable song. The electronic elements also don't  blend very well, and they end up drowning the guitar elements, which is a bit disappointing.

Overall, the accessibility of this album, including its emphasis on more clean vocals and more upbeat choruses may make this the most different out of all of DH's albums. While I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's one of their top records, there is still no denying for me that it is a superb release, and it will be on repeat throughout the rest of the year. If you haven't heard Demon Hunter before, this album might be a good place to start before you get into their more intense material. I for one am glad that Demon Hunter continues to push themselves in new directions, and I can't wait to see what direction they'll take next!

Favorite Tracks: "Slight the Odds", "Patience", "One Step Behind", "Cold Blood", "Died In My Sleep", "The End"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Half as Dead", "Raining Down"