Building 429 - Iris To Iris - Music & Performance - CD

Building 429 built their loyal fan base by touring incessantly. Gigging and selling their independent CDs from the stage eventually earned the band a deal with Word records. The group's major label debut, Space In Between Us, was released in 2004, and produced the massive hit "Glory Defined," a song that topped eight charts. The follow up, 2006's Rise, was a Christian rock lover's dream album.

While writing songs for the band's third release Iris To Iris, frontman Jason Roy felt God lead him in a different direction. Rather than write and sing about the Almighty, Roy was encouraged by the Holy Spirit to sing directly to the Almighty. In the bio for Iris To Iris, Roy says the band found its ultimate purpose; its reason for existing, and that, according to the singer, is living, "eye to eye with God." The 11-track disc is the perfect marriage of rock and roll and worship music.

Longtime fans will be pleasantly surprised by the material on Iris To Iris. Overall, the disc is more melodic than the band's first two major label releases. The album's opening number, the celestial "Power Of Your Name," an impressive track with crisp electric guitars and oceanic keyboard fills, reveals a more mature Building 429. Roy, standing tall in his faith, follows the Holy Spirit's direction and raises his voice to the Lord of Lords. "God come down, hear the sound/ Jesus we're crying out to you," he sings.

Anyone who has ever walked through a deep valley of despair will relate to the emotionally charged "You Carried Me." The edgy production is sanded down just enough to allow Roy to pour his liquid vocals overtop a smooth foundation of drums, guitars, and bass. Keyboardist Jesse Garcia seals the deal with a coat of glossy electronic embellishment. The band does a complete 360 for a reworking of the hymn "Grace That Is Greater." Roy and his mates channel Led Zeppelin through the Jayhawks by way of Third Day.

"Incredible," with its heavy guitars and skull fracturing backbeat, is as close to the old Building 429 as Iris To Iris gets. Roy and Garcia (who also plays guitar) give their axes a good work out, with support from drummer Michael Anderson, the only other official member of the band. The piano gets rolled out for the contemplative ballad, "Waiting To Shine." Roy wonders what God looks like and longs for the Lord to open up the skies and let his children see him in all his glory.

The members of Building 429 have basically reinvented themselves with Iris To Iris and, in the process, have extended their shelf life.

By Todd Sterling