There's nothing wrong with a highly polished Christian album, but it does make a refreshing change when a group comes along and throws an unusual spanner in the works.
Enter Ooberfuse, the electro-pop quartet who have been making ripples in the waters of Christian music since their song, "Heart's Cry", was chosen as the official youth anthem of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Britain in 2010.
Thankfully the surge in attention has not tempted the band to replace their unique sound with something more "mainstream".
Their latest album, Seventh Wave, is an interesting mix of up-tempo dance songs and reflective melodies.
The opening track Call My Name is a perky pop song with a strong dance beat asking that God never forsakes us. It's quickly followed by "Love is the Seventh Wave", a decent indie track that is given the club mix treatment for a special radio edit that appears at the end of the album.
It's the club mix that takes us full circle and finishes the album on the funky note it started with. If dance is your thing, "Starless Midnight" is also well worth a listen.
Not that dance music is all Ooberfuse can do. Take "Rescue" for example. Lead singer Cherrie Anderson's dramatic vocals and the simple piano/orchestral accompaniment give the song a haunting sound that would not be out of place in a heart-wrenching scene on the West End stage.
Indeed, it's Cherrie Anderson's vocals that have been the greatest strength of Ooberfuse's music from the outset. The emotional conviction of her voice is especially perfect for the band's bold protest song, "Free Asia Bibi", written to rally support for the Christian mother-of-two facing execution in Pakistan for blasphemy.
It is safe to say there is no other Christian artist or group making music like these guys – and that's what makes them so exciting.
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