Third Day - 'Chronology: Volume One'

Being from Georgia myself, I've always loved Third Day and their southern rock roots, so I was really looking forward to their first anthology. I wasn't disappointed ... well ... for the most part anyway. The excellence of Third Day is absolutely there, but I felt a bit let down by the redone/remixed songs. It was as if by adding the polish, some of the original southern-style passion was sucked out. A retrospective looks back at who you used to be. How can you be historically correct if you've modernized the picture itself?

Yes, these are new "spins" for longtime fans, but why fix what ain't broke?

When Third Day hit the national scene in '96, the rockers were competing against a predominently "pop" culture and they were truly a breath of fresh air. Like all people, the members of Third Day have grown since then, maturing both musically and personally and their subsequent releases have shown that growth. Chronology: Volume One goes back to the beginning, bringing fans all the way to the year 2000.

Many of the Third Day "classics" are included on this release, with appearances by "Sky Falls Down," "Nothing At All," "Your Love Oh Lord" and "My Hope Is You." With so much great music coming from the Third Day camp, it must have been difficult to pick which songs would be included, but they did a good job. A real bonus comes in the form of "Long Time Comin'" and "She Sings in Riddles," two tracks from Southern Tracks, the rare 1999 EP that was released to promote Time.

"Consuming Fire" has a new mix, but the newness doesn't take away from the song itself. I wish that I could say the same of "Thief" which is my all-time favorite Third Day song. Don't get me wrong, the strings and piano are beautiful, but I was left wondering what happened to the raw power and passion of the original version.

19 videos (music vids, GMA performances and bootleg cuts) add a lot of punch to the collection. The commentary that the band members provide give you a clear look at who they are and what they think, looking back at their own growth.

In-depth liner notes and a sweet montage of photos round out the package to take it to a complete state.

For long-time fans or those relatively new to Third Day, part one of their career retrospective will be a welcome addition. Volume Two, which will release in August, 2007 will round out the package. It may not be 100% musical magic, but it comes close enough to make it worth the money spent.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.