Tricia Brock "Radiate" Album Review

This is not an album made for the ipod generation.   Without any tangible themes running through, there are some albums where you can just download one track here and there at your own fancy.  But not Tricia Brock's sophomore solo album "Radiate."  "Radiate" is one of her most cohesive albums to date where every song feeds upon each other formulating a holistic picture of what it means to shine for Jesus Christ.   Prior to her solo career, Tricia Brock was the lead singer of the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) group Superchick.  With over a million albums sold, a Grammy nomination, five No. 1 singles, Dove Award Nominations, and over 150 film, television, commercial and video game placements, Superchick has carved a niche of mass appeal especially to teens and pre-teens.  Though they are often categorized under the CCM umbrella, their Christian sensibility was more assumed than explicit. But when Brock stepped away from her day job with the Superchick, she took what was assumed and made it explicit. "The Road," Brock's debut solo record, was essentially a worship record where God rather than female empowerment was at the cynosure.

So, on whither path does her follow-up album "Radiate" lead us? Rather than retreating back into Christianized positivism, "Radiate" continues in same God-centered direction as her debut record.  And with further spiritual maturity, she has taken another conspicuous step forward of showing how the worship of God radiates our lives.  On cuts such as "Daughter of the King" and "Mirror, Mirror," for instance, Brock has shown how the worship of God changes the way we view ourselves and our weaknesses.  In fact, if you get the physical CD copy of the album, you will be blessed by a devotion written by Brock herself, tucked in the grace-filled 16 pages inside the packaging.  "Radiate" again finds Brock working in collaboration with her producer cum hubby Nick Bramhardt (Stellar Kart).  Together, they have co-written many of the songs here and they have also recorded them in their own home studio.

The God-centered songs abound:  fans who have grown to love the tender side of Brock will adore the worshipful "What I Know."  With a piano accompaniment sweetened by some lushful strings, our hearts are warmed as Brook croons:  "What I know is you my God are real/no matter what I feel/You'll never let me go."  But the tempo doesn't stay down.  Though only clocking in at a faction below three minutes, "Enough" is a tightly knitted ball of energy.  Never pleonastic, "Enough" is a blast of holy reminder than amidst our selfish wants and easily disenchanted faith, Jesus Christ is enough.  Continuing on the similar trajectory is the hook-laden "Everything But Loss."  The light acoustic guitar crunches and the "woah" backing make this prayer of surrender to God sparklingly refreshing.  The title cut "Radiate" with its popternative groove and the electronica beat will get us bopping to radiate for the King of kings despite our circumstances.

But worship doesn't just stay in the closet, it changes our relationships, first with God and then with others.  With amps on overdrive and bass blasting harder than ever, "Daughter of the King" reminds all her female fans that we are not nobodies at the foot of the Cross but children of the King.  The anthemic excitement of "Daughter of the King" will make this a likely theme song candidate for women conferences in the months to come.  Though tracks like "Pity Party," "Good to be a Girl" and "Mirror Mirror" are meant to be encouragers to younger female fans, they are more demographically focused than the rest of the album.  Despite a few bumps, "Radiate" is still a strong album where Christian punk-pop meets electronica.  Lyrically, "Radiate" is a bright thematically driven album of how the worship of God changes us.  Don't short changed yourself, open your heart to listen to this album in its entirety and let God minister to you.