Grace Hotel
                            Overall rating: 

Album Reviews

I first became a fan of The Insyderz after hearing their album, Skalleluia. I loved being able to sing along to my favorite praise and worship songs performed with a ska style. However, after I heard their next album, Fight of My Life (which I loved), I couldn't help but feel that Skalleluia wasn't on the same level musically. The arrangements seemed to be lacking the extra horns and BGV's that gave FOML the full rich sound that grabs your ears with a fury.

Now we have Skalleluia Too! Believe me, this album does not disappoint. It takes your favorite contemporary praise and worship choruses (plus two new ones that the band wrote from scratch) and couples them with the musical intensity of FOML, while exploring an even more diverse mix of musical styles.

The album begins with the "Peace Of God." It starts off with a driving percussion line that leads into the fast moving praise and worship that makes all but the most unmovable want to sing along. Then we have "When I Look Up," a new song written by band member Joe Yerke. The lyrics are very honest and uplifting, a prayer to God from a believer who wants to do his best to serve the Lord God Almighty and to be able to someday stand in His court and praise Him. (My prediction - this song will be sung by youth groups all over the land within a year.)

"Shout To The Lord" is another powerful song. It starts off with this really cool drumbeat that continues in the background throughout the entire song. The song also has powerful and clear vocals accompanied by bass and guitar, but no horns.

One nice feature in this album is the low brass sounds prevalent in many songs. "All That I Am" combines low brass with vibes for an interesting effect, and "The Old Rugged Cross" uses a tuba and euphonium, coupled with clarinet (Phil Krauzak outdid himself on the clarinet here) to have an almost polka-like beat to this Dixieland version of the classic hymn.

(I should add that at first, I didn't like this song at all. I grew up singing this song as a slow, almost mournful song, but the more I listened to it, the more I grew to love it. Sang Kim's lead vocals on this song are real low and almost sound like Elvis singing in a Dixieland band.)

After the old school sounds of "The Old Rugged Cross," get ready because "In The Secret" is going to hit like a brick in the face! This song is powerful! Imagine a full wall of sound that assaults the ears with a massive onslaught of horns, heavy driving guitars, and strong, strong vocals. Be sure and listen for the weird organ/keyboard in the background of the fast and hard parts, and for the very effective use of strings on the bridge. This song is so layered it will blow you away.

The next two songs are pulled straight from the Bible. "Psalm 121" is a first wave ska/Caribbean reggae mix song that is really neat. "Psalm 139" is a new song, with the vocals written by Nate (using the Psalm as a basis, of course) and the brand-new music written by The Insyderz. This is pretty much a straight-up ska song.

Skalleluia Too! is very good, but there are two songs that don't seem to be on the same caliber as the rest of the album. (These songs are the only reason that this album didn't get 5 stars.) "Steadfast Love" is a big band/swing tune, which is pretty decent, but just not great. And "Pour Out My Heart" just seems to be too slow and dragging for my taste. It does have a sort of interesting approach with lots of keyboards and organs, supplemented by occasional horns and nice harmony on the chorus, but it is just too long.

Overall, though, this album is phenomenal. If you love to worship God (even if you're not a rude boy/girl), this album is for you.

~ James M. Branum

The Motor City boys are back with their fourth album, Skalleluia Too!, a return to the alternative worship of the original Skalleluia. But this second round of worship is a definite step up for the Insyderz. They've reached a new level of maturity and are able to play a wider range of styles--at some points you'll be scratching your head and asking if this is really the Insyderz.

When they sat down to write this CD, they didn't look for songs that would sound good with a ska beat. They looked for worshipful songs. The result is a pleasing mix of 14 songs (including two originals), that span the styles--including ska, punk, hardcore, jazz, swing, dixieland, reggae, and straight up rock & roll. Somehow they manage to mix it all together and come up with a really enjoyable album. The original Skalleluia suffered from a lack of diversity, but Skalleluia Too! manages to change it up and keep things interesting.

Absent from the CD is lead singer Joe Yerke's usually scratchy voice. On most of the tracks he manages to soften it up and make the vocals a lot more bearable. But for those of you who like the edgy voice, it's still there on the hard core 'True of You.' The CD also features vocals from drummer Nate Sjogren and trombone player Sang Kim, who sings an Elvis-style, Dixieland version of 'Old Rugged Cross.'

Highlights on the album are too numerous to mention, but I'll try anyway: the ska-punk rocker 'Peace of God,' the jazzy version of Delirious' 'I Could Sing of Your Love Forever,' the original and poetic 'When I Look Up' (written by Yerke), and the energetic and powerful 'In the Secret' are sure to please Insyderz fans. 'Who is This?' and 'Shout to the Lord,' two uncharacteristically mellow songs, are probably some of the best on the album and will impress not only the Insyderz fans, but a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise give the band a chance.

While the CD starts off with power, it does seems to dwindle near the end. The last four songs seem to be lacking, from 'Psalm 139' that features Yerke on background vocals (his characteristic voice just doesn't do backing vocals), to 'Steadfast Love' with a drum solo that just isn't there. But with 14 songs, there's still plenty of CD left.

Some critics will claim that the Insyderz are again trying to milk the popular worship & praise genre, but they're just missing the point. The Insyderz set out to make a worshipful album, and they succeeded. Worship music has been a part of the Insyderz since their beginning. This album is for more than just the ska fans, with enough variety in it to appease most any listener. The only problem is that many people probably won't give Skalleluia Too! a chance, preferring instead to pigeon-hole the Insyderz as a ska band--a big mistake considering the quality and musical maturity of this album.

~ Kevin H.