Chris Sligh- Running Back To You

Brash Music

July 8, 2008, 12:18 AM

The good thing about being on American Idol is you're basically guaranteed a record deal and you get exposure to a very large national audience.

The bad thing about being on American Idol is people already know whether or not you can sing.

Now, I remember Chris Sligh. He was a fair singer. A smooth tenor. And he chose songs that the judges weren't always familiar with, but music fans definitely were. He belted out a less than perfect rendition of MuteMath's song 'Typical' but was probably best known for his rather uncomfortable razzing of Simon Cowell, reminding the ego maniacal judge of some of his more embarrassing projects.

After seeing Chris Sligh over analyzed for a couple weeks by people who don't really know what they're talking about, I found myself pulling for him. He didn't fit the American Idol mold. They put him through because he was an alright singer with a good sense of humor that would appeal to the audience but have no real shot of winning. They didn't really get what he was all about. He's a nerd. Well, now Chris Sligh is out with his debut album called 'Running Back To You' on Brash Records.

Now before I start picking apart the music, I want to talk about Christian music as a whole. Christian music gets a bum rap, but unfortunately they do it to themselves. Any halfway decent Christian band will inevitably go mainstream at some point. Why? Because there are no standards in Christian music. The only thing they require is that your songs be about God and Jesus and being a Christian. Musically, one would think it doesn't have to sound like anything in particular, but for some reason pretty much all of it sounds the same. There is plenty of room for creativity in this genre, but the artists are very very rarely innovative. They're good at what they do, but you've heard it a million times. Christian bands, for the most part, are completely interchangeable.

This is the genre Chris Sligh has selected. For someone who proudly sang on national television that he doesn't want to be typical, he is, unfortunately, extremely typical. Good singer? Yes. Original in any way? NOT AT ALL. There are a couple moments on 'Running Back To You' where Sligh hints at having more to offer than every other Christian band, musically. But, lyrically, this level of cheese is almost laughable. I can't help but think of Cartman's Christian band, Faith +1. Especially when Chris Sligh sings 'empty me so I can be filled with you.'

Like with most Christian albums, I find myself being disappointed. Chris Sligh has a nice voice and he's not a bad songwriter, but the lyrics are atrocious. The Christian bands who go mainstream do so because they are lyrically superior and musically innovative. Those who stay within the genre are neither. Chris Sligh is neither, but that's not to say he could never be better.

Perhaps the Christian community will love this album. It seems to be getting good reviews. And like I said, none of it is BAD. It's just very average. If you own Casting Crowns and MercyMe and all those other bands, there is really no need for an album like this. Now, if you're not into Christian music at all and want to buy a relatively decent album from someone you liked on American Idol, you won't regret purchasing this record. But for me? The only songs I could get into at all were the ones without the overt Christian message. But those songs sound like they want to be MuteMath when they grow up, so I'll just listen to MuteMath instead.