This Beautiful Republic - 'Even Heroes Need A Parachute'

Modern guitar power-pop/rock is the plane that This Beautiful Republic lands in and, for the most part, their landing into the genre is good. Even Heroes Need A Parachute offers a few spectacular moments that follow them down the runway. Honest and innovative lyrics experience a bit of turbulence with when they bump into cliché-type phrases, but sometimes simply put can be the best way to say something.

Bottom line ... this is a better than average debut, and there is a ton of potential for greatness here.

One of the things that you just can't deny about This Beautiful Republic is the fact that they can bring it on hard just as well as they slow it down soft. Raw energy segues into powerful, but soft-spoken passion and then jumps right back into the rock mix. Not every band can do that without sounding contrived, so that's a big plus for me.

Stand-out songs for me include opening track, "Casting Off," which has a lot of heart and some surprisingly good harmonies to boot. "Jesus To The World" may be a bit on the simplistic side, but the gentle reminder that we, the body, are Christ's representatives to the entire world is something that needs to be repeated more than once or twice.

Sometimes its hard to see You, but I see Your people.
Sometimes its hard to hear You, but I heard Your preachers.
My proof is in the way, the way that they shine.

"Something To Deny" takes an interesting twist by suggesting that faith in itself is all the proof of God that we need.

They want something to deny
If You're not here
What's the light inside of me?
If You're not here
How can they deny You?

This Beautiful Republic has a solid foundation with a lot of room to grow. While the weather in their forecast may be perfect for skydiving, I don't think they need to worry about packing parachutes in case of emergency because they're doing just fine.