The Face of Love | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 4, 2006 | |||
Recorded | 2005 | |||
Studio | Fabmusic (Franklin, Tennessee); The Smoakstack (Nashville, Tennessee). | |||
Genre | Christian rock | |||
Length | 42:04 | |||
Label | Sparrow/EMI CMG | |||
Producer | Christopher Stevens | |||
Sanctus Real chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Face of Love | ||||
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The Face of Love is the third studio album from Christian rock band Sanctus Real. It was released on April 4, 2006 and peaked at number 158 on the Billboard 200. The singles "I'm Not Alright" and "Don't Give Up" both reached number 1 on Christian contemporary hit radio. The album was written and recorded following a period of personal struggles for the band members, and carries themes of honesty and brokenness.
The Face of Love was generally well received by music critics, who praised its lyrical maturity and vocal performance of lead singer Matt Hammit. The album itself was GMA Dove Award-nominated for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year, and the song "I'm Not Alright" also received a Dove Award nomination.
Before recording their third major studio album, the members of Sanctus Real faced several personal struggles including family deaths. In early February 2005, drummer Mark Graalman and his wife had a child, and on the same day, Graalman received news of his father's failing health due to cancer. [1] Within two months his father and lead vocalist Matt Hammit's grandmother died, and the band's bassist left the group. Hammit said in an interview, "It basically left [us] feeling pretty confused about what was next for Sanctus Real, what kind of record we were going to make and how it was even going to happen." [1] The album's final track, "Benjamin", was written to Graalman's infant son in relation to the father's death. [2]
The band had difficulty in attempting to prepare and record an album following the circumstances at that time. Producer Christopher Stevens encouraged them to write honest songs about the pain that they had experienced, and was credited by the band members as "walking with them through their dark night of the soul experience". [3]
The first recording session occurred in April 2005 in the garage of Stevens' Nashville, Tennessee home, which was used as a temporary studio. "It was so hot in that garage the first session", guitarist Chris Rohman recalled in an interview. "We go in there and we don't have the songs, we don't know what we're doing, we're stressed, he's stressed, and it's like 90 degrees [Fahrenheit] in the studio. Nobody wanted to be there." [4] Stevens began playing over the chords to "I'm Not Alright", initially titled as "I'll Be Fine", and at that point the band decided to rework the song's lyrical theme. "We're not going to lie. We're not going to try to sit here and try to sugarcoat what's happening right now or say something because it sounds good. I'm not alright", Matt Hammit said. [4] The previous material they had written was lyrically "shifted to the stuff we were going through at [that] point". [3] "I'm Not Alright", which became the album's lead single, was rewritten and represented the themes of brokenness and confession on The Face of Love. Mark Graalman noted: "It's been an unbelievably hard year for the band. But we've learned to rely on God’s grace, and we've learned to be honest and transparent. Being honest and transparent means not faking it; it has to be OK to say, 'No, I'm not alright'." [3]
The Face of Love was recorded and mixed at the fabmusic and Smoakstack studios in Tennessee. [5]
The Face of Love has generally been labeled as a melodic alternative rock album, taking influence from the power pop of their debut Say It Loud and the more distinctive rock sound of Fight the Tide . [6] Allmusic's review noted, "If you swirled together Switchfoot's The Beautiful Letdown , Jars of Clay's Good Monsters and U2's How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb , the concoction would sound much like this." [6]
The Face of Love was released on April 4, 2006 through Sparrow Records and Capitol Music Group. It debuted at number 168 on the Billboard 200, and number 2 on Billboard magazine's Top Heatseekers chart. [7] [8] It also reached number 10 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart, [9] and in December 2006, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 and placed at number 158. [7]
Three radio singles were released from the album: "I'm Not Alright", "The Face of Love", and "Don't Give Up". On April 23, 2006, the band launched The Face of Love Tour in promotion of the album; it travelled through the southeast and midwest of the United States, featuring Needtobreathe and This Beautiful Republic as guest artists. [10]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | link |
Jesus Freak Hideout | link |
Christianity Today | link |
Cross Rhythms | link |
Music Faith | link |
The Phantom Tollbooth | (not rated) link |
Upon its release, The Face of Love was generally well-received by music critics. Jared Johnson of Allmusic gave a 4.5/5 review, praising Matt Hammit's lead vocals as "so rich and mature that he could practically sing a computer owner's manual to rave reviews"; it was also labeled by Allmusic as an AMG Album Pick. [6] The title track "The Face of Love" received individual accolade, as well: Jesus Freak Hideout main editor John DiBiase called it "probably the band's best [song] to date", [11] while Christianity Today said that it was a "beautiful illustration". [12] The album was noted to somewhat "lack distinction" by Christianity Today, however; the magazine's review noted, "Based on the songwriting, this is Sanctus Real's most mature effort to date ... Though it all sounds great, there's ultimately something a little lacking ... [W]hile there is indeed growth here, it doesn't necessarily make The Face of Love a step forward in excellence compared to the band's two previous efforts." [12]
The Face of Love was nominated for the Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year honor at the 2007 GMA Dove Awards. [13] The album's lead single "I'm Not Alright" also received a Dove Award nomination, in the category Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. [14]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "I'm Not Alright" | Dan Gartley, Mark Graalman, Matt Hammitt, Doug McKelvey, Chris Rohman, Christopher Stevens | 4:07 |
2. | "Eloquent" | Gartley, Graalman, Hammitt, Rohman, Stevens | 3:22 |
3. | "Fly" | Gartley, Graalman, Hammitt, Rohman, Stevens | 3:58 |
4. | "The Face of Love" | Gartley, Graalman, Hammitt, Rohman, Stevens | 3:55 |
5. | "Don't Give Up" | Gartley, Graalman, Hammitt, Rohman, Stevens | 4:14 |
6. | "We're Trying" | Gartley, Graalman, Hammitt, Rohman | 3:00 |
7. | "Thank You" | Gartley, Graalman, Hammitt, Rohman, Stevens | 3:34 |
8. | "Magnetic" | Gartley, Graalman, Hammitt, Rohman, Stevens | 4:27 |
9. | "Possibilities" | Gartley, Graalman, Hammitt, Rohman, Stevens | 3:30 |
10. | "Where We Belong" | Gartley, Graalman, Hammitt, Rohman, Stevens | 3:34 |
11. | "Benjamin" | Gartley, Graalman, Hammitt, Rohman, Stevens | 4:15 |
Total length: | 41:56 |
Sanctus Real
Additional musicians
Year | Chart | Peak position |
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2006 | U.S. Billboard 200 | 158 [7] |
2006 | U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers | 2 [8] |
2006 | U.S. Billboard Top Christian Albums | 10 [9] |
Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | "I'm Not Alright" | U.S. R&R Christian CHR format | 1 [15] |
2007 | "Don't Give Up" | U.S. R&R Christian CHR format | 1 [15] |
Sanctus Real is an American Christian rock band formed in Toledo, Ohio, in 1996. The group is composed of Chris Rohman, Mark Graalman (drums), and Dustin Lolli. The band is best known for their number one singles "Lead Me", "Forgiven", "Whatever You're Doing", "I'm Not Alright", "Don't Give Up", "We Need Each Other", "Everything About You", and "The Fight Song". Since 2002, they have released five albums through the Sparrow Records label, an independent EP This Is Love, and "Changed" on Framework Records.
Project 86 is an American metal band from Orange County, California, formed in 1996. The band has released ten albums, which have collectively sold nearly 500,000 units worldwide, two EPs, two DVDs, and one live album.
Fight the Tide is the second studio album from Christian rock band Sanctus Real, and was released on June 15, 2004 under Sparrow Records. Most of the album was written within one month and recorded in only four weeks. According to band members, the tight schedule caused them to refine the album's various musical and lyrical elements.
"Jesus Freak" is a song by the American contemporary Christian music group DC Talk. Released on August 1, 1995, it was the lead radio single from the group's fourth album. The song was written and produced by Toby McKeehan and Mark Heimermann. Lyrically, the song is about standing up for the belief in Jesus Christ in the midst of persecution. Musically, the song has been described as alternative rock and grunge. It received airplay on both contemporary Christian music and alternative rock stations, formats that rarely interact. "Jesus Freak" earned DC Talk three GMA Dove Awards.
Nothing to Lose is the last independent album recorded by Sanctus Real before signing their record deal with Sparrow Records. The album was sold at live concerts in the Northwestern Ohio, Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan areas. Six tracks were re-recorded for the album Say it Loud. The track "Message" was re-recorded for the album Fight the Tide.
We Need Each Other is the fourth album released by Christian rock band Sanctus Real. It was released in the United States on February 12, 2008 through Sparrow Records. It debuted at #153 on the Billboard 200. Three songs have been released as singles: "Whatever You're Doing ", "Turn On the Lights", and the title track "We Need Each Other".
The Heat is the second studio album by American Christian rock band Needtobreathe, released on August 28, 2007 under Atlantic/Word Records. The album reached No. 164 on Billboard's Top 200 and No. 2 on the Top Heatseekers charts. The first single from the album, "Signature of Divine (Yahweh)", reached No. 1 on R&R's Christian contemporary hit radio chart, and was the No. 14 most played song in 2007 on the same radio format. "Washed by the Water" was the sixth most-played song on R&R magazine's Christian CHR chart for 2008. The Heat was GMA Dove Award-nominated for "Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year", as well as "Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year" for the song "Signature of Divine (Yahweh)".
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"We Need Each Other" is a song by Christian rock band Sanctus Real, from their fourth album We Need Each Other. The song was released on November 13, 2007, and reached number 1 on R&R's Christian CHR chart in January 2008. It was the 8th most played song of 2008 on Christian CHR radio.
"Don't Give Up" is a song by Christian rock band Sanctus Real from their 2006 album The Face of Love. The song was released as the third radio single in early 2007, and reached No. 1 on R&R's Christian CHR chart in the beginning of May 2007. It is the band's fifth No. 1 hit, and the second chart-topping single from The Face of Love. It ended 2007 as the 6th most played song of the year on Christian contemporary hit radio. The song peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. It lasted 20 weeks on the overall chart. The song is played in a D-flat major key, and 120 beats per minute.
"I'm Not Alright" is a song by Christian rock band Sanctus Real from their album The Face of Love. It was a number 1 hit on Christian radio in 2006. In 2007, the song was nominated at the GMA Dove Awards for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year.
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The discography of Sanctus Real, a Christian rock band which formed in 1996.
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The 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 20, 2011, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The show was broadcast on GMC on April 24, 2011, hosted by Sherri Shepherd from The Newlywed Game.
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