Flyleaf - 'Flyleaf'

Flyleaf, the new young female fronted act from Texas, has a lot going for them. Lacey Mosley has a powerful voice and the emotion that comes through is impossible to ignore. Personally, I could have done without the screams, but there aren't that many (not a screamo album at all) and some people like that style of music, so it may not be a negative point for you.

Let's face it ... life, even for Christians, isn't always a bed of roses. We have bad days just like everyone else and it's those bad days that Lacey Mosley and the rest of the Flyleaf crew sing about. Now don't get me wrong here ... this isn't your typical "I hate the world" kind of band, because they do speak of God and Jesus several times and the hope that comes from knowing them, just not with the typical "happy beam of sunshine" feel that seems to be popular. Lacey sums it up best, "Our music is passionate and on purpose. It’s angry, sad, urgent and loving. It’s about our experiences and passions and how we have overcome. Our message is to encourage the hopeless people to have hope, and the apathetic people to stand up in their destinies and purposes and believe in something good and world changing."

Standout tracks like "I'm Sorry," "I'm So Sick" and "All Around Me" are enough to make you take notice, even if you're not into the whole post-grunge scene.

The guitar work of Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Harmann is extremely well done, even if it doesn't jump out at you as new and exciting. Lacey Mosley's voice, powerful to the 'nth degree, is really the big draw here. Even though I'm not a fan of screaming in my music, the rest of her vocals were enough to make me overlook the few screams that punctuated the release. Think powerful, honest, raw and in your face ... and then you'll start to get a hand-hold on where Lacey's voice is at.