Skillet - Awake - 2009
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‘Hero’, which if you listen to any alt/progressive radio station (PWG or other) you have heard by now.The album starts out very “Skillety” with this track. It is a good hard hitting song, complete with a good bit of chick rock lyrical backings. It was also on the bumper for Sunday Night Football, if anyone cares
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‘Monster’, the second song is one of my favorite tracks on the album. I think the song flows really well, and I love the voice mod part of when he says “I feel like a monster” towards the end of the song – Little J and M love this part too.
‘Don’t wake me’ is a typical rock “I miss you baby” song. It’s a little bland for me.
‘Awake and Alive’ is a very “Skillety” song as well as ‘Hero’ and ‘Dead Inside’. Most groups that try and pull off synth and strings fail horribly. Red and Skillet are two standout groups that do this well, as well this song is lyrically spot on to living a life of faithful grinding against the culture we live in.
‘One Day Too Late’ is a little anthemy, and seems a little misplaced on the album. I would have put it above ‘Awake and Alive’ or ‘Don’t Wake Me’. Taken on it’s own it’s a good social justice-y type song, but it bugs me every time I get to it after ‘Awake and Alive’.
‘It’s not me it’s you’ is a song written to either Satan or bad self nature. This will be a smash crossover hit I bet, because if you were mad at someone, this would be a great song to play! I don’t think I’ve heard a song this vehemently awesome at “you suck” since Ugly Kid Joe’s ‘I hate everything about you’.
‘You should have when you could have’ is along the same lines as ‘It’s not me it’s you’, but clearly directed at being dumped and/or breaking up. It’s a great song for that. Well written Skillet.
‘Believe’ is the next song on the album list. On a scale of 1 to 10 on a “make-up” song list, this song is about a 9.73. It’s awesome, expressive, and well engineered. My only reason I don’t give it the extra .27 is that this would be the absolutely perfect make-up song ever is a sweet guitar solo. There are excellent 80’s metal band guitar interludes in it, it just lacks the melt your face guitar solo. I’m hoping there is a remake on a b-side sometime. I love this song – I think it’s dedicated to every person in a serious relationship that had a tool moment and let it all go in an instant of stupidity.
‘Forgiven’ is an overtly PWG song, it is an excellent song. If it was knocked down a bit the tempo it could easily be reworked into a worship song. Love it.
‘Sometimes’ is (for me) the most forgettable song on this album. It’s a good song, but I always forget it’s on the album when I’m listening to it (which is a lot lately). It deals with being corrupt. Perhaps it’s like a cliffhanger, the song doesn’t really address anything. It’s kinda depressing also, but the ending is awesome (musically at least).
‘Never Surrender’ quickly picks up from ‘sometimes’. Thematically I think it leads into the next song on the album for a reason. I LOVE this song. This song is perhaps the top song off of this album for me. I have listened to this song something like 30 times. And I’m usually not OCD about one song . I think I just resonate with the following lyrics from the song:“I don’t want to feel like this tomorrow.
I don’t want live like this today.
Make me feel better. I need to feel better.
Stay with me hear now, and never surrender.
Make me feel better, you make me feel better.
Put me back together.
Make me feel better I need to feel better.I love this song. I feel this song often. I live this song often in my faith life. I need Jesus so much. I dig this song.
- ‘Lucy’ is a great song if you’re experiencing mourning. It made me cry. I think it’s about a little girl (which is why it touched me so much). Ek thinks it’s about a chick. Either way it’s sad.
Bonus Song 1 – Dead Inside – This is another great Skillet song about a faith filled life. This song made it worth buying the bonus version.
Bonus Song 2 – ‘Would It Matter’ – This song is really quite good as well. I’m really surprised it got axed from the album and relegated to “deluxe” status. This song deals with the thoughts about wondering if you’re cared about at all. I have felt this feeling before, especially in my teens. If you’re buying this album for a teen – definitely get the bonus album for this song alone.
Bonus Song 3 – ‘Monster Radio Alt’ – It’s the same song without the “scary” monster voice. Which my boys love, AKA the K-love version. Don’t buy it single!
My overall thoughts about this album are “Bravo Skillet”. I have always felt like this group has had a really good handle on what a truly ‘real’ in but not of the world life looks like. I love how some of the songs don’t always answer a problem but at least address it. If you had 10 bucks to spend on a 2009 album, Buy Red’s new album. If you had 20, buy this one too.
