ALBUM REVIEW

American Idol's Chris Daughtry
and Absent Element

Absent Element is the Chris Daughtry-fronted Christian alternative rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Uprooted is their first release, a 7 song EP.

In case you weren’t sure they were a rock band, the CD opens with Breakdown, one of the hardest cuts on the album. Don’t be fooled by the sweet hook, this track gets down and dirty. A grungy guitar drives the song, and by the end of this song, if you are not a hard rock fan, you’ll be hoping they change to something a bit more mellow. What you get next is Conviction, an anthem of sorts of wounded Christians. You may or may not agree with the theology, but Daughtry’s lyrics perfectly capture the feeling of those battered by their own. The vocals are beautiful here, and Chris’ reverbed backups complement it quite well. The quality of the songwriting is evident throughout this album, especially here and track six.. If this could be cut down a minute from its 5:30 length, it would have a good chance at radio play.

Weaker Side has a modern rock feel. The melody changes add variety, unfortunately, the snare is mixed way too high and it distracts from the excellent guitar and vocals. Still, it’s a good, solid song, even if it does get repetitive. I feel a little cheated with So I Lie Awake, as it starts out as a beautiful love song, building to what you think is going to be some sappy romantic story only to be knocked in the head (or more accurately, the ears) by an angry young man screaming. This is not a love song, but a love gone wrong song. He’s bitter and angry, and the song builds into it, subtly at first, then with abandon. This song is pretty intricate and a well done song as a whole..

Mark Perry’s guitar is the shining star of Seven4, with masterful fingering and creative riffs. Unfortunately the vocals are somewhat screamed rather than sung, to its detriment. The bgvs do soften the lead and have a nice effect. This isn’t a very listenable song unless you are a true metal head and sitting right in the middle of the EP, it breaks the up continuity of the EP big time. Lest the lyrics seem obscure to the unbelieving, Let Me In gives us a poignant picture of how Jesus must feel when our hearts are hardened. The heavy intro is a little long for a song that is more alternative pop than rock, but 30 seconds in and you’ll be able to get into it. The music and the lyrics fit extremely well, almost as if you’d know what the song was about without the lyrics. The vocals are very clear and melodic here, and shine. The hook here is great, playing over and over in your head long after the song has finished.

The EP ends much too soon with Keep Me Close, the beautiful acoustic love song we missed on Lie Awake. Daughtry shows that he has versatility and talent with this rock ballad and it all comes together in this final cut. Scott Crawford’s drums are awesome. Drums don’t have to take center stage to be brilliant and Ryan Andrews’ bass guitar echoes the mood of the lead.. The lead vocal gives us longing, confusion, and hope, the gauntlet of emotion; thus completely believable. Hit the repeat button, folks, you’ll want to hear this one over and over again.

Uprooted is very good for a debut project. The songwriting is excellent and shows a high level of intelligence and understanding. The instrumentation is, for the most part, tight and satisfying. With a bigger budget for production and artwork, and some fine-tuning, Absent Element will be ready for national exposure.

LYRICS SHOWCASE

Breakdown

Open up the book you beat me with again.
Read it off one sentence at a time.
I'm tired of all the lines,
convictions, and your lies.
What right do you have to point at me?

Well, I'm sitting alone thinking about it all over coffee,
And still crowdin' my space are the things you still hold against me.
You cannot save me.

Well, it's not the time to breakdown.
It's not the time to breakdown.
It's not the time to break up this love,
Keep it together now.
It's not the time to break.

Read it all, no need for separating it.
You see what you want and try to justify
all your little lines,
convictions, and your lies.
What right do you have to point at me?

Well, I'm sitting alone thinking about it all over coffee,
And still crowdin' my space are the things you still hold against me.
You cannot save me.

Well, it's not the time to breakdown.
It's not the time to breakdown.
It's not the time to break up this love,
Keep it together now.
It's not the time to break.

Open up the book you beat me with again.
Read it off one sentence at a time.

Well, it's not the time to breakdown.
Well, it's not the time to breakdown.
Well, it's not the time to breakdown.
Well, it's not the time to breakdown.
Well, it's not the time to break up this love,
Keep it together now.
Well, it's not the time to break,
Breakdown.