This week I'm gonna start trying to comment on pre-releases I get in the mail. Well, at least the ones worth commenting on. And since the Cindy Morgan album doesn't fit on the list of ones worth commenting on, I'll give you a little bit on Sanctus Real's The Face of Love.

In some ways, I hate it when people just compare their new CD to their previous album(s). But, with Sanctus Real, I can't help it. If you ask me, Say It Loud is easily their best. I guess it's the rock 'n' roll production by Pete Stewart, which I always dig, but I think it's also the songs too. In my opinion, Fight the Tide and the new The Face of Love just have that subdued, pop feel that just doesn't get me energized. And along with that, I just find the band falling into too many clichés. One of the songs on this album is just a bunch of analogies that kinda work but left me looking for my copy of God so I could listen to "Me Without You".

I'm not knockin' the guys in Sanctus Real: I've met them a couple times and they're cool. And although their CD just seems to be non-stop regurgitating of the theme of love, I guess it just failed to grab me the first couple times through.