The Hurt & the Healer

Award-winning, Texas-based Christian rockers 's eighth studio album, , is billed as a "celebration of that moment when these two worlds collide... the deep need for healing and the God who provides it." That sentiment is most affecting on the title cut, a soaring, midtempo ballad that ponders "I'm alive/even though part of me has died/you take my heart and breathe it back to life," but it's not the only sure-to-be fan favorite to be found here. The emotive, reverent "You Are I Am" and the bluesy "Take the Time," the latter of which features guest vocals from of fellow CCM superstars , are both first spin highlights, and the propulsive, upbeat opener "You Know Better" sets the pace and mood with a road trip-ready chorus set against a driving, alt-rock backbeat. may not deviate much from the fairly predictable, anthem-heavy template of previous outings, but few bands in the genre are as adept as when it comes to implementing that sound effectively. ~ James Christopher Monger