Jimmy Needham still seems like a new artist, but he’s been around for a while. His unique R&B/Disco style caught the attention of the Christian music market and his previous two albums were mildly successful, landing spots on tours with bands like Barlowgirl. Now, 4 years after his debut, Jimmy’s introducing his third project “Nightlights” to rave reviews. And even though I don’t usually even give my thoughts for this kind of music, I had to try it out myself.
It starts with a big black gospel sounding anthem “Moving to Zion,” and even though I know he is really good at what he does, it didn’t appeal to me off the bat. The next tune is “Being Small,” and this thoroughly enjoyed, with an upbeat lightheartedness and clever lyrics, this one is a personal favorite and has a great message as well, saying: if it’s you that’s getting bigger/Than I don’t mind being small. “Yours to Take” mixes a bit of Josh Wilson and Matthew West with his trademark style and ends up with one of the best here, and no doubt about it’s radio appeal, it’s already marked it’s spot in the Christian Top 20.
The rest of the first half follows in ordinary fashion, a couple good songs but must most fall through the cracks. While he tries to throw in some extra flavor on “Steal Away,” it doesn’t hit the mark fully, and everything that he was building early on melts into unoriginality later. One track that helps that side of things is “Grace Amazing,” and even though it doesn’t really fit in with the rest of this music, it’s a welcome change with a gritty rap break edgy opening guitar riff. A love song meant for his wife “How Sweet It Is” is another song that wraps things up, but overall it’s words are unbelievably cliché and I lost interest from then on out.
So even though there are some nice points here, the album spikes at the top and goes down hill from there. True fans might find this one worth their while, but as a new listener I found his music under whelming and far too simple lyrically. For some hearers it could be fun, but for the average CCM fan, this CD truly isn’t what it’s made out to be. ~ Christian Lingner
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