Opposite Way

This past Tuesday marked the release of Leeland's sophomore album Opposite Way. When the Texas based band released Sound of Melodies in 2006, it quickly became one of my favorite albums of the year. Needless to say, I was pretty excited about the new album.

So did it live up to expectations? I'm gonna say almost. And that's pretty good for a sophomore album.

Leeland's songwriting--done almost exclusively by 19 year old lead singer Leeland Mooring--is definitely worship centered. He writes some pretty good songs (especially for a 19 year old), but I'm not completely blown away by them. Michael W. Smith is more impressed by the kid than I am though. Smith has taken Leeland under his wings and invested much time into developing him as a songwriter. I guess Smith sees something I don't. He's the one with 3 Grammy's and 34 Dove awards though.

The musical styling on this album is pretty similar to their first but with a little more rock mixed in with their melodic-pop sound. Rock has never been my cup of tea, so I'm glad they didn't move too far in that direction.

Leeland's unique vocals are definitely a selling point. The guy reaches notes I don't dare attempt. And he sings with a genuine passion. I'm really excited to see these guys progress and grow up......literally. They're all around the 18-20 year old range.

If you don't buy the whole album, do yourself a favor and buy "Like a Theif in the Night" off iTunes. GREAT song. My other favorite songs are "Enter This Temple", "Opposite Way", "Beginning and the End", and "Let it Out Now".

Leeland's Website
Leeland's Myspace