When most people hear anything about Christian music they immediately think of the commercials advertising praise and worship songs being sung to a crowd with their arms raised in praise. Is this an entirely accurate assumption? Not really, since there is much more to Christian music than praise and worship bands. This is shown in bands such as Sanctus Real that fall into the "Christian Rock" genre. "Fight the Tide," Sanctus Real's second album released on a label is a perfect example of an album composed of consistently solid rock songs. The only major difference is found in the lyrics, which are generally provocative and challenging throughout "Fight the Tide."Sanctus Real first came onto the Christian rock scene with "Say it Loud" in 2002. Since then the four-piece rock band has come far in terms of the substance of its songs, both musically and lyrically. With catchy beats and lyrics, "Fight the Tide" showcases Sanctus Real as a serious band with a strong message. The message is no coincidence, "'Fight the Tide' is about maintaining spiritual integrity," lead singer Matt Hammit said. "It's about what we do in the face of struggles, fears and temptations. We have a choice to whether we will throw in or towel and accept defeat, or accept God's strength and do the right thing."The message is one that comes through clearly on "Fight the Tide," but does not overtake the album, which conveys solid messages without being overly overt in doing so.The first single of the album, "Everything About You," is a rock song with a hint of praise, making it a generally memorable song. The "Christian-ness" of the song is a bit heavy-handed, with a chorus centered around singing "Hallelujah." Even so, the melody of the strong is very catchy and promises to be stuck in listeners' heads for days. The strongest songs of the album are a bit softer in their lyrical nature, and in such convey more complicated messages. "Alone" is one such song. Seemingly more about a girl than God, the song works to either end as Hammit sings, "Two hearts entwined, yes, you are mine / And I'll be yours forever / I've done the math, I'm less than half / we're better off together." It is a catchy song with endearing and memorable lyrics that does not leave much to ask for. "The Fight Song" and "The Show" are another couple of great rock songs on "Fight the Tide."Sanctus Real shows a slower and more reflective side on "Fight the Tide" very successfully in "Change Me." Still maintaining heavy guitar and drums, the song is slower and a bit more reflective than most of the other tracks asking, "Would you change me from / who I've been lately? / 'Cause I know I'm nothing / without you." With a bit more of a ballad feel to it "Change Me" is one of the few slow songs on the album. Overall, Sanctus Real shows Christian Rock is more than people give it credit for in "Fight the Tide." As a great album with terrific and memorable songs, "Fight the Tide" deserves the chance to be in any rock fan's music collection.
