Album review : VAN ZANT – Always Look Up

Frontiers [Release date : 22.11.24]

Here are the Van Zant brothers, Donnie and Johnny, vocalists respectively with 38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd (50 million album sales between them), looking forward, going back.

In 2017, University Of Northumbria’s Professor of American History, Randall J Stephens wrote: “Rock’s origins lie in part with the energetic Southern Pentecostal churches where Elvis, Little Richard, James Brown, and other pioneers of the genre worshipped as children.”

Arguably then, with Always Look Up, the Van Zants are drilling down into the culture that surrounded them in their youth.

Johnny : “I always believed in Jesus Christ, but I wasn’t saved and I felt like I had my personal connection, just like the song ‘It’s Up To You’ that’s on this new album.”

In a mix of first person narrative and worship styled lyrics, Always Look Up is criss-crossed with dirt roads and blue collar Christian sentiments. Witness ‘Stand Up’ and ‘There You Are’. It’s much easier to engage our emotions this way. Van Zant use that sense of familiarity to draw us in, then hook us with their music and their beliefs.

And on ‘Why God Brought Me Here’ and ‘The One I Waited For’, they drive a big old itinerant preacher’s truck down those country roads. There’s a gospel choir in the back, the spirit of evangelism, singing up a storm on two songs that would convince the doubters and reinforce the believers.

As is the way of the genre, the album is ballad heavy. ‘Speak His Name’ and ‘Praying’ are perhaps the most “uplifting”. That is clearly their purpose.

Titles like ‘Awesome God’ and ‘Holy Moment’ alone may put off many. It’s just the nature of Christian Rock. It seems to evoke strong feelings, negative as well as positive.

There are no hidden agendas here, only an abundance of sincerity and high calibre country rock music. One look at the cover tells you all you need to know. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)