Vagabonds

Audio Mixers: Dave Holdredge; Michael "Elvis" Baskette.
Recording information: Studio Barbarosa, Bavon, VA.
Photographer: Jordan Butcher.
While it might be up for debate whether or not the Classic Crime are a Christian rock band, what is clear is that they're one of the most consistently solid and almost unerringly upbeat bands working. With their third album, Vagabonds, the band continues to deliver the same uplifting alternative rock that's made it so successful. Even from the opening moments of "A Perfect Voice," it's clear that this is a bummer-free experience, with sunny guitars and a big singalong chorus preparing for the heaping helpings of sugar-coated hard rock that are yet to come. The title track, "Vagabonds," keeps piling on the sweetness, but since the rest of the album is so positive, it never ends up feeling saccharine. The band really pours on the emotion with "Different Now," a hard-rocking ballad about personal growth and redemption, showing that things aren't always so nice and clean, but that there's always a chance that they can be. This is definitely an all-around brighter album than their last record, 2008's Silver Cord, but the musical formula is mostly unchanged. Fortunately for the Classic Crime, it's a formula that works for them, making Vagabonds an album that should have no difficulty pleasing their followers. ~ Gregory Heaney