"Voice From Home: not so much of the sing-a-long worship that has typified FFH's previous releases, but more of a CD to really listen to and meditate on the words that express the heart of our Lord for his children. I've always loved FFH's dedication to music that is soley focused on their ministry to encourage Christians and bring the Good News to non-Christians.
This CD's songs are expressions of the promises of the Lord from scripture; they are aimed to strengthen and build us up. Musically, it's trademark FFH: strong contemporary pop with softer ballads that emphasise the poetic promises from the Bible. I prefer the more up-tempo tracks like Can't Let Go and Worth It All but all the songs have their value.
Voice From Home is a CD to really listen to, to remind ourselves of the love of the Lord for us; to remind us we have value and a special place in His heart and Kingdom."
FINALLY doing something different, and hitting a GRAND SLAM
Steve Forsyth | Denton, TX USA | 03/22/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I really enjoyed FFH when they first burst onto the scene almost a decade ago. But after five albums they finally arrived at STILL THE CROSS which just seemed to epitomize how generic their sound and writing had become. It was a disappointing step for them. Now, however, they seem to have finally decided to strike off in a new direction, and the result is easily their best album to date, and one that may be a challenge for them to top in the near future.
While their roots are still intact here (most of these songs remain Contemporary Christian Radio friendly), there is an added rock edge to the proceedings - evident from the get go, and especially on the second track. As I listened to each song in excited surprise, I kept waiting for the next track to return to that familiar "fun-pop" sound they had been getting lost in recently, but to my joy that never happened! Each track on here is a unique experience, and would easily be the BEST track on any of their other releases. Finally, this is FFH music I can turn up loudly in my office and not be embarassed by some sudden synthesized trumpet riff or Christian catch-phrase like "You drive I'll ride . . ."
And as if tuning up their sound is not enough, they had to go and make this a concept album! Yes, not satisfied to just deliver ten songs that sound the same but bear no relation to each other, this time around they throw in a common theme! See, each one of these songs is written from God's perspective - they are all songs that God would speak to His church and His children. They are songs sung from His point of view - from His lips to our ears. Not songs sung ABOUT how God feels - but God singing for Himself what He feels about us! They are scripturally sound, don't worry - and they will touch you in ways most music will not. To hear God sing that nothing you can do will make Him love you because He simply loves you as you are - brings a tear to these old eyes!!
It's this unity of purpose (each song is from God's mouth) that pushes this CD over the edge into greatness. Greatly written songs sung great - I didn't know FFH still had it in them! I am amazed and overjoyed!
The one and only drawback is that Jennifer this time is only given ONE solo track (whereas she usually gets two). As usual, it is one of the best on the disk (God sings - "I can't let you go - I can't let you down - I don't even know how!" favorite line on the whole CD). My one further request of FFH, other than continuing down this new path, is to please give Jenny more songs to sing (assuming she wants to, of course).
Other than that, this is a great disc from any band, but especially from FFH - get it now!"
"Well Pleased!!"
E. Wright | Chicago, IL | 01/06/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been an FFH fan for a long time, and this CD is not to be compared to the rest of them...way to go FFH! This CD is such a great reminder of the love that Christ has for us. Yes, we may walk away sometimes, but Christ is always there, always opening his arms to us, wanting us back-(even across the "Grand Caynon"). We need to stand in the truth and be bold in this present evil world. We can do this through Christ that strengthes us. It is becuase of what Christ did for us at the Cross. He died and rose again and if we just believe this, we can have eternal life with him and understand this love. FFH does a great job of sharing this love with it's listeners. Thanks, FFH for your ministry in the Lord."
A New Direction Musically
Music Lover | USA | 05/22/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"FFH burst onto the scene years ago with the song "One Of These Days" and honestly I've been waiting since then for them to release another song or even an album that has the same tempo and imagination. The album Voice from Home is the closest yet. While I like FFH, one of my complaints about them is that all of their songs and all of their albums all seems to sound exactly alike. Voice from Home, however, has a new direction musically. The sound is edgier and more upbeat without venturing into hard rock. To put it another way, their previous releases I'd classify as contemporary christian while Voice from Home I'd classify as Christian Rock. The lyrics are great as well so what you have is a 4/5 star winner. The only thing preventing me from giving it 5 stars is the fact that some songs still have that same sound that we've heard on all of their other albums. Hopefully FFH will use this album as a stepping stone and get even more imaginative on their next album and make it truly stand out."