Album Review :
Josiah James - All Forgotten Things

Artist: Josiah James
Album: All Forgotten Things
Label: None
Release Date: January 6, 2012
Reviewed by: Cimarron Hatch
Buy The Album Here

Tracklisting:
1. More To This Life
2. Broken and Bruised
3. Distant Lights
4. Chasing The Wind
5. Open Your Eyes
6. Catch Me When I Fall
7. Reason
8. Love Shy Spark
9. All Forgotten Things
10. The Sun Will Always Come

Josiah James, a native of Cool, California, is back with his second full length album titled, All Forgotten Things. According to Josiah, the idea for the album “came from the example of the Christian walk in comparison to [Old Testament] Israel. Just like how Israel always forgot God’s goodness and faithfulness in saving them and then still turning away from God and towards idols, so we turn away from Him and forgot our true love and joy.”

All Forgotten Things begins with a good, upbeat tune called “More to This Life,” which leads into “Broken and Bruised.” The intro to “Broken and Bruised” sounds almost like dubstep or electronic music. Next, “Distant Lights,” a piano based, soft worship song with Biblical lyrics serves as an intro to what is, in my opinion, the album’s best song, “Chasing the Wind.” The song has incredibly powerful lyrics including: “I’m running fast I’m trying to reach you / I’m pushing all the things that are in my way / And they don’t really know what you mean to me / No I’m not just chasing the wind”

“Open Your Eyes” comes after “Chasing the Wind,” and has really cool drums that remind me of Leeland’s first album. Next is “Catch Me When I Fall,” another soft worship song which precedes “Reason.” “Reason” has a church organ background and a good beat and guitar like Hillsong United’s style of music. The final three songs all have uplifting messages in them. “Love Shy Spark” reminds me of Owl City’s hit song “Deer in the Headlights,” and this album’s title track, “All Forgotten Things,” is a nice melodic and positive song. The closing track of All Forgotten Things, “The Sun Will Always Come,” is a typical album closing song, serving as a type of reflection of the album as a whole.

Overall: I really liked this album. I think Josiah James has a sound that is unique in the Christian music scene, which could be compared to such mainstream acts as Jack’s Mannequin. The concept for the album is interesting and thought-provoking. This album was completely self-produced which makes it even more impressive because the quality is flawless, especially the vocal talent of Josiah James, and the instrumental talent of the musicians on the record. I believe that this album has great potential both in the Christian and mainstream markets alike.