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P.O.D.
Testify
(Atlantic/Warner)
Now that we've chosen Stephen Harper's Canada, young people across the country can be expected to openly appreciate (but stop short of worshipping) decent, Christian bands like San Diego's Payable on Death.
And, truth be told, they could do worse. On Testify, P.O.D.'s appealing if not exactly groundbreaking stew of hard rock, rap and reggae is refined through the divine intervention of hitmaker Glen Ballard, the man who made Alanis Morissette a star.
And if anything marks the 13 tracks of Testify, it is restraint.
Each time the band threatens to let its heavy, pious riffage get the best of it, Ballard wisely ups the radio-friendly touches.
Hence, a song like Let You Down, which could have been a pseudo-metal mess, becomes a toe-tapping power-pop song.
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Elsewhere, the highlights are provided by enthusiastic guests like Matisyahu -- who brings the album out of the gate in spectacular style -- and the Boo-Yaa Tribe. It's the soundtrack to our times: Conservative but catchy.
Track Listing:
1. Roots in Stereo
2. Lights Out
3. If You Could See Me Now
4. Goodbye for Now
5. Sounds Like War
6. On the Grind
7. This Time
8. Mistakes & Glories
9. Let You Down
10. Teachers
11. Strength of My Life
12. Say Hello
13. Mark My Words