Pioneers in Christian rock, Sweden's evangelical Jerusalem have released She, their first album since 1998. Sounding at times like Whitesnake, Scorpions, and the fictional Strange Fruit, the tunes have melody, a few almost catchy yet clichéd choruses and some interesting lead work. Overall, however, this is mediocre at best. The mid-tempo songs dawdle along like a pensioner in the wrong lane on the motorway on a Sunday spin. The abundant reverb on Ulf's vocals makes them sound detached from the tunes, as if drifting nearby on some pitiful breeze. And the guitars and drums sound feeble, lacking the bite that would lift the songs up and out of the tedium. If Christian rock wants to assert itself and establish itself firmly at the top of the rock hierarchy, the music has to at least match the drive of its detractors. Without it, the rock is rolling down the Mount. Flat, bland, and uninspiring, the musicianship is good but the songs are staid, formulaic, and lacklustre. Hardly worth resurrecting the band for, She is an exercise in blind faith.
Track Listing:
1. Calling On
2. Come On
3. I Want To Leave Her
4. Suddenly
5. Supernatural
6. Save My Life
7. She
8. Amos 5
9. Crown The King
10. The Story Of D
11. Heaven
12. The Greatest Party
13. Standing At Jericho