Blink

Personnel: Dave Hanbury (vocals, background vocals); A.J. Cheek, Mike Payne (guitar); Mike Tenkate (drums); Jason Ingram, Rusty Varenkamp (programming, background vocals); Rich Thompson (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Tom Laune.
Recording information: Conservatory Park.
Editors: D. Thomas Toner; Rusty Varenkamp.
Photographer: Tony Baker .
Aussie rockers Revive feel as comfortable as ever in their own skin on their second helping of worship-based atmospheric arena rock. Following the success and acclaim of their debut, Chorus of the Saints, which landed them a New Artist of the Year Dove nod, Revive dug deeper to pull out a more meaningful, broad-based theme on Blink. Their sophomore effort finds them nestled naturally among the faith-inspired approaches of Switchfoot, Bluetree, and Needtobreathe. The band experienced its first lineup change with former Nevertheless guitarist A.J. Cheek replacing Tyler Hall, who moved from the band's new home in Atlanta back to his native Australia. The addition benefits the group, as Cheek's fierce yet subtle approach works not only on upbeat congregational-style worship but also on the thought-provoking slower numbers here. Lead vocalist Dave Hanbury seems perfectly comfortable varying the tone between the Snow Patrol-like sheen of "Something Glorious" and the understated OneRepublic sound of the title track and "All of This for You." Revive weave together themes of living in the moment in surprisingly original fashion, capitalizing on their improved songwriting skills and the Midas touch of production team Jason Ingram (Bebo Norman, Tenth Avenue North, Brandon Heath) and Rusty Varenkamp (Rush of Fools). Some of the album's subtleties come across after repeated listens to this diverse and enjoyable collection of inspirational messages set to modern rock. ~ Jared Johnson