X-changed - X-changed (2001)

Tight singing and great energy abound on the self-titled release from X-Changed, a collegiate Christian a cappella group out of David Lipscomb University in Nashville. The songs and arrangements are sometimes too simple and repetitive for the talent of these eleven young men and women, but there is little to fault them for on the technical side. The majority of the songs were written by the disc's producers, Keith Lancaster and Gary Miller, with a gospel and contemporary Christian feel.

There doesn't seem to be a weak link in the group, from the solid basses up to the clear treble voices who have just the right amount of vibrato. The tone is focused, the vowels are uniform, and dynamics are used well. The leads, too, are strong and emotionally committed. Mandy Wilson's turn on Beautiful Lamb is especially soulful, and Laura Ellis has great control of her voice when she solos on How Could You Say No with a tone clearly influenced by the Nashville country style. Jeremy Stroop, too, delivers a couple of great pop-style solos on Medley and More. The guys in the group, in fact, are amazingly solid for a collegiate group. The all-male track, True Bread, is as strong as any track on the disc. Like I said, there's not a weak link in the group.

Some of the songs are amazingly repetitive, and that hurts the repeat listenability. Be Strong and Courageous, for example, bores this listener to tears, even though the energy is high. It cast a shadow on my first listen to the contemplative Beautiful Lamb. If this song had been placed later in the order, Awesome God, Beautiful Lamb, and Medley would have made for a much stronger introductory trio of tracks.

X-Changed's energy is contagious. They keep up the intensity on the slow songs, and sound joyous and excited throughout the upbeat tunes. I Stand Amazed shows how their energy works across tempos, from the slow beginning through the vibrant, rhythmic end. I can almost see these guys clapping along with themselves (they don't), and I can certainly hear them smiling. Good work!
Review by: Bernard Levin

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
X-Changed - X-Changed
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-

Artist……………: X-Changed
Album…………….: X-Changed
Genre…………….: Acappella
Source……………: CD
Year……………..: 2001
Ripper……………: EAC (Secure mode) / LAME 3.92 & Asus CD-S520
Codec…………….: FhG
Version…………..: MPEG 1 Layer III
Quality…………..: CBR 192, (avg. bitrate: 192kbps)
Channels………….: Joint Stereo / 44100 hz

Included………….: NFO, M3U
Covers……………: Front

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
Tracklisting
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-

1. (00:04:08) X-Changed - Awesome God
2. (00:02:27) X-Changed - Be Strong and Corageous (Don't be Afraid)
3. (00:04:27) X-Changed - Beautiful Lamb
4. (00:05:40) X-Changed - Medley (Give Thanks; Worthy Lord; Let us Worship)
5. (00:03:08) X-Changed - How Could You Say No
6. (00:02:44) X-Changed - Pearl of Great Price
7. (00:02:54) X-Changed - If You Miss Me
8. (00:03:18) X-Changed - More
9. (00:03:21) X-Changed - True Bread
10. (00:02:54) X-Changed - Covenant of Love
11. (00:02:37) X-Changed - He Will Come and Save You
12. (00:02:53) X-Changed - I Stand Amazed

Playing Time………: 00:40:33
Total Size………..: 55.78 MB




No mirrors please…