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Release Date: March 28, 2006 Label: LNJ Records/Oarfin Records Related Sites: · Official Site Grade: B

Celebrate liberty and justice this Independence Day with the aural fireworks supplied on Soundtrack of a Soul, the second project by Liberty N' Justice to feature an all-star line-up sure to please the hard rock and hair metal fan. Formed in 1991, this Christian rock band has morphed in its last two releases to founding member Justin Murr and his "friends". But, oh, what friends he recruits to fashion this sonic ode to hair metal and melodic rock of days gone by. Most amazingly, producer Mike Layne gives the record a consistent and overall modern rock sound, while eliciting performances that will remind you of an era of rock when big hair ruled. You'll wax nostalgic for Mr. Big on "Show Me The Way" and the acoustic side of Warrant on "Malice in Wonderland". The inspired vocal pairing of Mark Slaughter and Pete Loran on "Thy Will Be Done" features a Metallica "Enter Sandman" groove when it hits the chorus. And it's nothing but pure metal on "Killer Grin" which brings Ratt's Stephen Pearcy back from the dead.

The album opens with a line from the film School of Rock, with Jack Black leading a prayer to the "god of rock". Depending on how you take this opening intro, you may see it as fun-loving and humorous, or somewhat irreverent and off-putting. While I tended to veer toward the latter, I let the subsequent music and lyrical content do the talking, and ultimately found myself redefining the meaning of "power praise". Regardless, the first musical salvo takes Black's advice to "get out there and melt some faces!" with Ez Gomer of Jet Circus doing his best Michael Sweet (Stryper) impression on the blistering "Kings of Hollywood". Ironically, the tune speaks in direct contrast to the movie-making machine from which it appropriates: "Well, I must be blind/giving so much time/I get nothing back/from the Kings of Hollywood". The tempo is maintained through "Another Nail" co-written and sung by Skid Row's Sebastian Bach, who's currently starring in VH1's reality series Supergroup. "State of Grace" is a fine slice of retro rock about runaway children ("only hope can save a child/take her from her darkest hour") with the important message that "no one can take away what God already claimed, so don't fear". With a song title like "Malice in Wonderland" I fully expected an in-your-face anthem, but instead got an acoustic treat that aspires to be the most thought-provoking and emotional song on the whole album, featuring Guardian's Jamie Rowe on vocals:

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your thoughts are not your own
on the branch temptation grows
wisdom you think is in your hand
you want forbidden fruit
slithering around the truth
it's the state of fallen man
it's just malice in wonderland

has the perceived evil become real?
can we really trust the way we feel?
a penny for our thought today
we're crying out for truth
but pride gets in the way

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The only real bummer track is the thankfully-short "Surreal" which is basically studio banter with Scott Wenzel of White Cross practicing screaming vocals to an annoying degree. His vocal talents were wasted on the previous all-star project as well, so I can only conclude that his voice is done and Murr is merely trying to figure out how to include his pal on his recording in any way he can. The music mellows out toward the end, and concludes with Justin Murr taking a couple of minutes to thank listeners and to reiterate the message of hope and unconditional love through Jesus Christ. He wraps it up by asking, "Can I do my rap thing now?" This is in obvious reference to the lack of rap on this record, which permeated Welcome to the Revolution, the first all-star album Liberty N' Justice released in 2004. While the talent of the musicians assembled for Soundtrack of a Soul is undeniable, I still prefer this first collection and often give it a spin when I need a pick-me-up. It's nice to hear a record that showcases the seemly lost-art of the guitar solo, though I personally wished there had been even more than was presented. Ultimately, Soundtrack of a Soul does deliver on its promise to "melt some faces" with its commanding rock, be it straight-up, metal, or melodic.