Cool Hand Luke - The Fires of Life
Label: Floodgate
Style: Alternative, Indie Rock, Emo
Released: 2004
My Grade: 4 stars
AMG: n/a
Sounds like: Roadside Monument, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Juliana Theory

Cool Hand Luke has it hard, they are trying to reinvent a sound that is over a decade old. Their main problem is not with their musicianship or craft, it is more with their lack of originality that seems to consume each album they have released.

Not to say that lack of originality creates a bad album, in fact "The Fires of Life" is a well thought out piece of modern rock, blending elements of The Juliana Theory with that of Roadside Monument and Sunny Day Real Estate. This album holds catchy phrasing, sweeping vocals, and a very strong musical presence, and while the band seems to be struggling between trying to hard and not hard enough – they seem perfectly able to craft beautiful rock gems.

The list of musicians that worked on this album is almost a "who’s who" of Christian alternative music, featuring Christina Glass Byrd (Glassbyrd), Matt Slocum (Sixpence None The Richer) and co-produced by Marc Byrd (Glassbyrd / Common Children), they each add their own personal touch to the songs they contributed to, giving the album a little more depth and feel. Marc Byrd especially leaves his fingerprints are all over album, from tracks like “Rats In The Cellar” to more progressively pop tunes "Cinematic" you can almost feel his touch and style. This album is only marred in occasional lyrics that make you wonder what these guys were thinking when they wrote the songs, or song length (both seen in the aforementioned "Cinematic"). Overall the songwriting is held together like the wick in a candle, perfectly encased in their musicianship.

The track "I’m Not Ready" stands out as a slow starting but eventually stunning work of art, while the title track is performed like a ever changing canvas of love - and that, in the end, is what Cool Hand Luke is trying to do, create art inside their music. The outright profession of Christianity in their songs may be considered a downside for some listeners, but at the same time it makes these three guys much more likeable then other artists that mask what they believe in cryptic and shadowed lyrics.

Overall this album is a refreshing sophomore album from a promising band, and a welcome change from the cookie cutter emotional driven rock that saturates the market.

Reviewed by: Samuel Aaron