Originally formed back in 1991 by Justin Murr and Patrick Marchand, the Christian-rock project LIBERTY N’ JUSTICE are probably most well known for being able to gather some of the best musicians in the business to write and record with. Their first “all-star” compilation CD (“Welcome To The Revolution”) was very good and featured such well-known vocalists as Michael Sweet (STRYPER), Harry Hess(HAREM SCAREM) and Lou Gramm(FOREIGNER). Then came their second “all-star” release in 2006 (“Soundtrack of a Soul”) which was fantastic and featured even more stellar performances by the likes of Russell Arcara (PROPHET), Jamie Rowe (ADRIANGALE), Tony Harnell (TNT), and Ted Poley (DANGER DANGER) just to name a few. That being said, I was very excited to hear about the band’s latest release “Independence Day”! I mean, how different could it be? Well… it is.

Despite the new “all-star” line-up which is probably the best to date, “Independence Day” just doesn’t seem to live up to the quality of it’s predecessors.

The first thing you’ll notice is the overall sound or “feel” to the release. Now I can see what they were going for here… they wanted it to sound like or have the feel that you are in a small club listening to a band in a very intimate atmosphere. It’s all acoustic, the vocals are very loud and clear and the drums have that dry, echoey sound to them… so like I said, I can see what they were going for but my question is why? If you are able to pull together a line-up of musicians like this, you have to go all the way! There’s no reason to try and replicate that sound when you should be putting out a quality release. If you want it to be acoustic… make it acoustic. If you want it “plugged”… then by all means light it up man! But unless you’re actually “IN” that small club atmosphere, it’s not the kind of thing I want blasting through my car stereo.

This is all very apparent on just about every track on the release. In songs like Jamie Rowe’s “Fade,” Jack Russell’s “Monkey Dance,” Pete Loran’s “Phoenix,” and Tony Mill’s “Meet My Monster,” you can almost hear the electric rhythms and harmonies SCREAMING to be released. Even a great vocal by Ted Poley on “Praying For A Miracle” accompanied by a strong, melodic chorus can’t save the song from its otherwise dry, boring arrangement. This song and almost ALL the songs on the CD could easily have been saved by simply letting these artists do what they do best.

“Bullet, Train, Breakdown” (featuring Jaime St. James) is a good song but again… it could have been so much more. I think the only song that actually makes sense and sounds good just the way it was recorded is Jani Lane’s “Addiction” which is definitely a true highlight… as is “Soldier” with Kelly Keagy and Mark Slaughter. But then there’s “Wake The Dead” (featuring Ez Gomer and Tony Carey) which is barely listenable at all! It almost sounds like an outtake of a really, really bad SMASHING PUMPKINS song.

Despite the addition of all the talented vocalists who contributed to this release, I think the average listener will find most of the arrangements dull and flat. It’s really a HUGE let down after the quality of LIBERTY N’ JUSTICE’s past two recordings but hey… if you happen to like that stagnant, echoey, small club sound, then this is definitely the CD for you. But if you’re like me and enjoy that full, fat studio recording on your stereo, all I can say is “stay away.”