Hit Parade (CD) by Audio Adrenaline

Audio Adrenaline uses the term "NuRock" to refer to its particular recipe of punk, thrash, straight ahead rock, and softer rock ballads, with Christian metaphors and unwavering spirituality sprinkled throughout. This greatest hits package is NuRock at its most accessible, with a strong alternative-pop sensibility, but also intensity, speed, and edginess. Lyrically, there's no doubt where the band's inspiration and interests lie. In "Walk on Water," Mark Stuart sings, "If I keep my eyes on Jesus I can walk on water/If I keep my eyes on him I can walk on water just like Peter."

This unwavering faith is continually reaffirmed in an unapologetic guitar-churning context, often with an inviting blend of wit and humility, as on "Never Gonna Be as Big as Jesus." Here Stuart fantasizes, "I could move to Hollywood/Get my teeth capped/I know I could be a big star on the silver screen/Just like James Dean," and then concludes, "Never gonna be as big as Jesus/Never gonna hold the world in my hand." Other highlights include two new songs, including the U2-ish "Will Not Fade," in which Stuart does a credible Bono imitation, and the appealingly poppy "Underdog," (not, alas, the theme from the '60s cartoon).