Artist: Cool Hand Luke
Album: The Fires of Life
Label: Floodgate Records
Tracks: 11
Length: 55:02
Review by: Phil Nichols

In their six years as a band, Cool Hand Luke has been consistently raising the bar for themselves with each new album. Born out of the pop-punk craze of the late 1990's, this Tennessee trio began their musical career with the same things most bands of the era started with: three chords, squeaky voices, and a healthy dosage of teen angst. However, while Cool Hand Luke's live shows proved to be energetic and fun, the band wanted something more personal, something uplifting, something inspiring. The result was the bands' indie debut full-length "I Fought Against Myself and Tore Myself To Pieces". The album showed the band maturing from mediocre lines and songwriting to thought-provoking lyricism and intricate melodies. The album was reasonably successful for an indie release, and the honesty and intensity of the record won them the respect of many fans and the title of HM Magazine Indie Band of the Year in 2002.

But their musical growth did not stop there. In March 2003 the band released their major label debut, "Wake Up O Sleeper", a seismic shift from the band's first full-length. The new album found them maturing even more and beginning to experiment with slower tempos and different instrumentation. The lyrics also changed from songs with general spiritual messages to songs that focus mostly on love- specifically divine love. The album divided some of their old fans that enjoyed the more aggressive Cool Hand Luke, but it also found them many new fans that were tired of the monotony of other Christian artists. Now, just a little over a year later, Cool Hand Luke is back with their third full-length album, The Fires of Life.

As stated before, Cool Hand Luke's sound has been in constant evolution since their pop-punk days, and the Fires of Life is no exception. The album starts off with "Skydive", a dreamy art rock song, which brings to mind a Pink Floyd influence (sans drugs), and a touch of Radiohead-esque melancholy. The song also has a really nice texture to it, which carries through into the rest of the album.

The opener is nice, but it is merely foreshadowing some of the beautiful songs that follow. "The Foster" maintains the dreamy intensity of the first song, while pleading with the listener to "go where the peace is". "I'm Not Ready" finds singer/drummer Mark Nicks saying, "God, I hear you calling/Stand up and spend yourself for Jesus/Too long have I been chained/I'm ready, Jesus- set me free". Other songs speak of our weakness and how God will comfort us in our time of need ("Rest For the Weary"). Even a darker track like "Rats in the Cellar", an allusion to C.S Lewis' comparison of hidden sin to vermin, is beautiful because of the honest and interesting lyrics.

The standout track on the Fires of Life is "Cinematic", which seeks to compare human life to a film. Musically, it is a gorgeous piano ballad, and the lyrics are simultaneously inspiring and thought provoking. Lines like: "If my life was cinematic/with a soundtrack so dramatic/ you'd be the hero and you would save me/ and it would have the sweetest ending", draw the comparison between life and film. And then Nicks asks, "What if it ended here? /What if the credits rolled now? / What would the critics say? / Would it be the biggest letdown?" which makes the listener wonder if they are making the Critic proud iwith the way that they live their life. The song draws out the metaphor very well, and the beautiful music makes it a very stirring listen.

Overall, Cool Hand Luke has once again raised the bar for themselves and other Christian artists everywhere. The piano based tunes, inspiring lyrics, and pleading vocals set this album far above the typical "Christian alternative to [insert band name here]" discs. However, while the album is beautiful, it is not perfect. There are a few songs toward the end of the disc that are not quite diverse enough to command your attention the whole way through. But do not let that stop you from checking out this album. If you are a fan of Radiohead, Coldplay, Pink Floyd, or past Cool Hand Luke releases, you will definitely want to give this a shot, as this is easily the bands best effort yet, and one of the best albums of the year thus far.