|
1. Fire On The Inside [Listen]
2. Whatever It Takes [Listen]
3. Secrets and Regrets [Listen]
4. Better Off Now [Listen]
5. Not Without A Fight [Listen]
6. Will You Be There [Listen]
7. Shine [Listen]
8. Call To Action [Listen]
9. Lose It All [Listen]
10. You Are Not The End [Listen]
2. Whatever It Takes [Listen]
3. Secrets and Regrets [Listen]
4. Better Off Now [Listen]
5. Not Without A Fight [Listen]
6. Will You Be There [Listen]
7. Shine [Listen]
8. Call To Action [Listen]
9. Lose It All [Listen]
10. You Are Not The End [Listen]
Confessions
[Release Date: September 22, 2009] (Essential Records)
Track Listing:
Track Listing:
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
4.0 out of 4
2.7 out of 3
2.0 out of 2
1.0 out of 1
9.7 out of 10
Message
Music
Production
Creativity
Overall Score
| 97% A |
Pillar’s sixth major label album, Confessions, will hit the streets September 22. Active for
more than 10 years, the sound of Pillar has evolved smoothly through each album from
Rap to heavy metal, to even at times playing on the edges of screamo. Their newest
offering, “Confessions,” again shows a progression of musical and lyrical talent. While
still holding on to the family Pillar edge, the album has a few equable ballads included,
such as, “Will you be there.”
“Fire On The Inside” and “Secrets and Regrets” may already sound familiar, having
already been picked up by radio stations across the country. A truly inspired song, the
“fire inside” is referring to the Holy Spirit inside of us, and the passion He creates in us
for Christ. “Days were so cold, / nights spent alone / searching for something I’ve
never known / held captive by the pain / caught up in all the shame… / You’re keeping
me alive with the fire on the inside.” Every day in the life of a Christian should bring us
each just a little closer to Jesus. The Holy Spirit stirs the longing for Christ inside of us,
and the “Fire Inside” lyrics remind us of this. If you don’t have the passion, you have a
problem.
“Secrets and Regrets” is a song that really captures the essence of the CD. It’s about
letting go of the skeletons in your closet that are keeping you from enjoying life and
becoming closer to Christ. “You’re holding all this blame inside you / can’t seem to leave
it all behind you / Tomorrow will be today soon / don’t wait until it’s too late too move /
Your secrets and regrets are keeping you from going very far / You can’t let all this get
you down… / cuz all your looking for is love…” On the group’s recent “Confessions
Tour,” Pillar came up with a really unique way to interact with their fans. They handed
out “confession cards” for people to write down confessions that they wouldn’t talk
about with anyone else. Then the band had people come and pray over the things people
wrote down. What a great way to connect with your audience! “Secrets and Regrets” is
about how hidden sin destroys relationships in your life, and that includes your
relationship with Christ. The song reminds fans to confess their secrets and move on.
But the moving on can’t come until after the confession.
“I had never had goose bumps listening to our own music before, but this album is just
on a whole different level,” says Pillar’s lead vocalist Rob Beckley in a press release.
“We're indebted to everyone who played a role in pushing us out of our comfort zones.
And I couldn't be more proud of our band.”
A beautiful highlight of the album is “Will You Be There.” It’s a very truthful ballad about
human weakness and fear. It asks if God will be there for us when we fail, when things
go wrong, when we discover we’ve made a terrible mistake. Will He be there to pull us
out of the pit we dug for ourselves? At the end, the song proclaims that no matter what,
“I can’t live without You / so I’ll just keep holding on.”
“Shine” is a song originally by “Collective Soul,” a post-grunge alternative rock 90’s
band. Rock concerts have changed so little in the past 30 years. The 70’s really started
the type of stage performances that we’re still familiar with today. Although “Shine” was
released in 1993, more than 16 years ago, it still fits with today’s brand of rock. If you
didn’t know the song, you probably wouldn’t know that it wasn’t original Pillar just by
listening. They do a good job on the cover, including the fun guitar solo in the middle,
stepping up the beat just a little.
The last three songs all have themes of action and victory. If you’re part of a church,
truly be part of the church. Be active and strive with all your might to be the person God
wants you to be. The message is a desperately needed one for many people and many
churches. Going to church on Sundays is great, but church should inspire us to go
deeper and deeper into Christ every minute of the day. If you are a Christian, you are a
warrior fighting a very real battle for your soul every day. Fight, and win!
Closing Thoughts:
In a press release Beckley stated, “1 John 1:9 says, ‘If we confess our sins, God is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ Every
song on this album could be broken down to ‘If you just confess.’” This band is truly
showing they have hearts to serve the Lord and to see their music inspire that desire in
others. The message in these lyrics is incredible - some of it sounding like it came
straight from scripture. This album is a must have for fans of all kinds of Christian rock.
The themes are positive and Christ-centered, but especially realistic and created to be
extremely relatable for today’s youth.
By the way, the band is currently offering some pretty good deals on their merch,
including autographed CD’s. For more information, check out their official website at
www.pillarmusic.com.
more than 10 years, the sound of Pillar has evolved smoothly through each album from
Rap to heavy metal, to even at times playing on the edges of screamo. Their newest
offering, “Confessions,” again shows a progression of musical and lyrical talent. While
still holding on to the family Pillar edge, the album has a few equable ballads included,
such as, “Will you be there.”
“Fire On The Inside” and “Secrets and Regrets” may already sound familiar, having
already been picked up by radio stations across the country. A truly inspired song, the
“fire inside” is referring to the Holy Spirit inside of us, and the passion He creates in us
for Christ. “Days were so cold, / nights spent alone / searching for something I’ve
never known / held captive by the pain / caught up in all the shame… / You’re keeping
me alive with the fire on the inside.” Every day in the life of a Christian should bring us
each just a little closer to Jesus. The Holy Spirit stirs the longing for Christ inside of us,
and the “Fire Inside” lyrics remind us of this. If you don’t have the passion, you have a
problem.
“Secrets and Regrets” is a song that really captures the essence of the CD. It’s about
letting go of the skeletons in your closet that are keeping you from enjoying life and
becoming closer to Christ. “You’re holding all this blame inside you / can’t seem to leave
it all behind you / Tomorrow will be today soon / don’t wait until it’s too late too move /
Your secrets and regrets are keeping you from going very far / You can’t let all this get
you down… / cuz all your looking for is love…” On the group’s recent “Confessions
Tour,” Pillar came up with a really unique way to interact with their fans. They handed
out “confession cards” for people to write down confessions that they wouldn’t talk
about with anyone else. Then the band had people come and pray over the things people
wrote down. What a great way to connect with your audience! “Secrets and Regrets” is
about how hidden sin destroys relationships in your life, and that includes your
relationship with Christ. The song reminds fans to confess their secrets and move on.
But the moving on can’t come until after the confession.
“I had never had goose bumps listening to our own music before, but this album is just
on a whole different level,” says Pillar’s lead vocalist Rob Beckley in a press release.
“We're indebted to everyone who played a role in pushing us out of our comfort zones.
And I couldn't be more proud of our band.”
A beautiful highlight of the album is “Will You Be There.” It’s a very truthful ballad about
human weakness and fear. It asks if God will be there for us when we fail, when things
go wrong, when we discover we’ve made a terrible mistake. Will He be there to pull us
out of the pit we dug for ourselves? At the end, the song proclaims that no matter what,
“I can’t live without You / so I’ll just keep holding on.”
“Shine” is a song originally by “Collective Soul,” a post-grunge alternative rock 90’s
band. Rock concerts have changed so little in the past 30 years. The 70’s really started
the type of stage performances that we’re still familiar with today. Although “Shine” was
released in 1993, more than 16 years ago, it still fits with today’s brand of rock. If you
didn’t know the song, you probably wouldn’t know that it wasn’t original Pillar just by
listening. They do a good job on the cover, including the fun guitar solo in the middle,
stepping up the beat just a little.
The last three songs all have themes of action and victory. If you’re part of a church,
truly be part of the church. Be active and strive with all your might to be the person God
wants you to be. The message is a desperately needed one for many people and many
churches. Going to church on Sundays is great, but church should inspire us to go
deeper and deeper into Christ every minute of the day. If you are a Christian, you are a
warrior fighting a very real battle for your soul every day. Fight, and win!
Closing Thoughts:
In a press release Beckley stated, “1 John 1:9 says, ‘If we confess our sins, God is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ Every
song on this album could be broken down to ‘If you just confess.’” This band is truly
showing they have hearts to serve the Lord and to see their music inspire that desire in
others. The message in these lyrics is incredible - some of it sounding like it came
straight from scripture. This album is a must have for fans of all kinds of Christian rock.
The themes are positive and Christ-centered, but especially realistic and created to be
extremely relatable for today’s youth.
By the way, the band is currently offering some pretty good deals on their merch,
including autographed CD’s. For more information, check out their official website at
www.pillarmusic.com.
Review Written By: Liz Haveman [liz.haveman@christianmusicreview.org] Date Written: September 15, 2009
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