Rock 'n' roll with a pop polish describes
Alive, the
solo debut from Todd Smith. As one-third of contemporary praise trio
Selah, Smith is better known for rich harmonies and acoustic updates
of traditional hymns, making
Alive a major about-face. The implication of backpedaling is appropriate:
Alive seems firmly rooted in the '70s and '80s style
of rock made famous by Kansas, Foreigner, Journey, and the
like. The title track rocks hard, full of slamming guitar riffs and
throbbing drums-typical of the cuts on
Alive. On ballads
like "Sad Song" and "Our Love Will Survive," Smith musters some
old-time power-ballad energy and conviction. But the sound is dated, and Smith takes himself a tad too
seriously. A lightening of the mood is sorely needed-something
offered only on the gentle closing track, "Sweet Jesus." This
acoustic gem offers a moment free of hair-metal guitar angst, allowing some real emotion to shine through, and one of the few moments that really comes, er, "alive."
