Innocence & Instinct

This is Red's second album inspired by a car crash the band was involved in, when their van and trailer rolled over on a highway. From this tragedy, they produced a great album. Red has a great blend of vocals, hard rock, and instrumentals. The singer, Michael Barnes's, voice has an excellent sound even when he is screaming. The lyrics are deep and full of meaning and the emotions of each song are supported by Hayden Lamb on drums, Anthony Armstrong and Jasen Rauch on guitar, as well as Randy Armstrong on bass and piano. I love the piano and instrumentals throughout the album. There is a classic undertone, which really brings out the depth of the music and hard work that was put into this album. I was shocked to learn this band is Christian Rock. The lyrics are universal, attaching to any emotion described.

Songs like "Fight Inside," "Death of Me," and "Take All Away" are well built from beginning to end and have all the makings of a hit song. My favorite song is the cover of Duran Duran's "Ordinary World." They set out and made it their own, slowing it down with a string background. On the deluxe copy, they have an acoustic version of "Fight Inside," called "Nothing and Everything," and that really brings out the talent of the band. The bonus tracks really make the CD a buy.

The song, "Out from Under," is the worst song. I didn't feel I was ever given a chance to love this song with the constant change up in tone and speed. Too many sounds thrown in too often. I was confused at the end of the song because it paused and started with what sounded like the hum of a new song. The DVD portion was also a disappointment. The documentary on "The Making of Innocence and Instinct" was too short. Nine minutes of why they ended up writing the album and how the band recorded it on the road only scratches the surface of the process. The video for "Death of Me" was a great video but, in the end, the extras were lacking.

All the music on the album invokes a sad, dark and melancholy theme through lyrics, stings, piano, and melody. Red has created a hard rock album with a solid, smooth sound. I wouldn't say they are the first band to combine all these elements of music but they proved they know how to make it work together.