A Best First Release Nominee in the 2006 Awards
Flyleaf begins with “I’m So Sick”. The vocals start off creepy, rip into several screamed words, and after that morph into normal singing. Lyrically, this track cries out against the sickness, darkness, and selfishness present on all levels in the world.
“Fully Alive” showcases the ring in Lacey Mosley’s great vocals.
“Perfect” describes how the drive for self-perfection can only lead to destruction, and it’s not necessary.
“Cassie” (featuring Ryan White) is both a tribute to the victims of Columbine and also a defiant anthem to hold fast to your faith even in the face of death. The musical elements underscore the lyrical message perfectly, with heavy guitars and urgent vocals. We still get goosebumps from this one.
“Sorrow”, a medium-paced, emotional rocker, encourages you to hold on because sorrow will not last forever, and there is still hope.
“I’m Sorry” is a rhythmic and nicely heavy track.
“All Around Me” is a great rock ballad; and its neat final bridge changes the rhythm, speeding it up shortly.
“Red Sam” (featuring Ryan White) begins with a troubled situation and a despairing thought, but then quickly responds to that thought and points out that there is, and always will be, hope left. The rest of the song expands on that, ending with a firmly spoken last chorus of “…you are the truth, saving my life”.
“There For You” begins softly; the guitars kick in for the chorus and last bridge, the verses in between them again soft. Lyrically this song describes the deep love Lacey has for her friends and the desire she has to be there for them.
“Breathe Today” is an urgent, rhythmic rocker.
And the final track is “So I Thought” (featuring Ryan White). Something about it draws you in, especially during the latter part when the guest joins the chorus. It’s an emotional song that illustrates either a breaking or broken relationship and the eventual healing of it, closing the disc off right.
Special Edition Bonus Content:
The Special Edition contains free goodies for your cell phone (including a ringtone); a poster on the other side of the liner notes; five new, freshly-recorded acoustic-version tracks on the CD; and a DVD.
The excellent acoustic versions of “Fully Alive”, “Red Sam”, “Cassie”, “I’m So Sick”, and “All Around Me” are all fairly full-sounding (they use at least two acoustic guitars on most of them, plus percussion, etc.), and Lacey’s new vocals adapt perfectly to the softer style, projecting emotion in a more vulnerable way. The band also incorporates new and/or changed melodies, and even some new lyrics, into the songs as well.
The DVD features music-video-like performances of all 5 acoustic-version tracks, as well as 3 of Flyleaf’s actual, original-version music videos.
Our rating for Flyleaf: 5 & 1/4 Stars. 