Some artists take a statement like “there’s nothing new under the sun” and verify it a bit quicker than others. Sixteen Cities would be one such band. The latest signing to Centricity Music (Downhere, Jason Gray) enjoys a nice, comfortable ride down the well-paved highway known as Christian pop on their debut—making a decent enough album in the process, but not enough to make a distinct mark. Centricity just might have something good on its hands in terms of generating a larger audience response, but for those looking for something artistically inspiring, Sixteen Cities’ radio-ready approach is a bit too easily digested—and consequently forgotten. –Matt Conner We Recommend: “Save Me From Myself” Jaymes Reunion Everything You’ve Been Looking For (BEC) For Fans Of: Maroon 5, Gavin DeGraw, Jon McLaughlin With influences ranging from Paul Simon to Keith Urban, newcomers to the Jaymes Reunion brand might assume the West Coasters’ recordings a dizzying soiree of genres. But the young collective’s first full-length album is simply modern pop with a retro slant thanks to Cameron Jaymes’ soulful lead vocal and a plethora of diminished chords. But though the music sparkles bright, hardly a flame of spiritual matter burns. What sacred thematic obscurity could be dismissed on the band’s two previous EPs is hard to ignore in Everything You’ve Been Looking For—an ironic title considering Jaymes Reunion’s supposed “CCM” status. –Andrew Greer We Recommend: “Let it Shine” Worship Vicky Beeching Eternity Invades (Word) For Fans Of: Fee, Kari Jobe, Phil Wickham Scrapping the commercially- driven marketing plans that surrounded her first two records, UK born and bred singer/songwriter, Vicky Beeching, releases her Integrity debut, Eternity Invades, returning to her worship roots to record songs designed for corporate praise. Beautiful lyrical imagery, best showcased on “Blessing and Honor,” captures Beeching’s worshipful intent and reminds listeners that music can be an invitation for interaction with a living God. The record achieves the rare feat of capturing both depth of verse and fresh musical elements. For achieving this, Beeching deserves a bit of praise all her own. –Andrew Greer We Recommend: “Deliverer” matt Redman Ultimate Collection (EMI) For Fans Of: Passion Worship, Tim Hughes Owners of Matt Redman’s previous releases might shrug at Ultimate Collection and rightfully so. Since there’s no new material present, the album offers nothing but a new playlist for Redman’s current fan base. Yet what Collection does do well is bring several of his classics and even some underrated tunes to a cohesive mix for the uninitiated. The favorites are represented well. “Heart of Worship,” “Blessed Be Your Name,” “Better is One Day” and “You Never Let Go” are all present and accounted for. So Collection is nothing new. Then again, it’s not supposed to be. –Matt Conner We Recommend: “You Never Let Go” Crossover Lifehouse Smoke & Mirrors (Universal Music Group) For Fans Of: Daughtry, Past Lifehouse With Smoke & Mirrors, the California four-piece is back to their old ways—charting their way to pop/rock success with the masses. The alpha dog, “Halfway Gone,” is already smoking up Billboard’s Hot 100. For a band originally labeled as an extension of ‘90s alt-rock, here they are a decade later still winning new fans. It’s a testimony to vocalist Jason Wade’s ear for melodies and the band’s resolve to stay with what they know. –Matt Conner We Recommend: “Halfway Gone” Adult Contemporary amy gRant Somewhere Down the Road (Sparrow) For Fans Of: Mindy Smith, Chris Rice and (we couldn’t help ourselves) Amy Grant I hate to use a cliché like calling Amy Grant a musical icon. But well, here goes. Somewhere Down the Road is the work of an icon. One that’s been on a journey and has lots of road stories. There’s little new ground broken here, but that wasn’t the point. These 12 songs are more like pulling a favorite sweater from the back of the closet. It’s familiar, comfortable and warm. As is this album. Though there are some standout moments— Grant’s duet with her 17-year-old daughter “Overnight” and “Find What You’re Looking For” co-written with Mindy Smith—Somewhere Down the Road maintains a steady, mid-tempo ease with predictable production and melodies. It’s a road Amy has taken us down before, but the drive is still as nice as ever. –Caroline Lusk We Recommend: “Overnight” supeRchick Reinvention (Inpop) For Fans Of: Fireflight, BarlowGirl, tobyMac On Reinvention, Christian music’s favorite smorgasbord band mashes it up once again, churning out retooled versions of the Grammy-nominated group’s favorite catalog songs plus three new tracks. Cranking up their beats-oriented toss up, changes range from subtle to palpable, but no more than what you might expect from the high-energy quintet that has experimented with every pop genre from techno to funk. Reinvention’s hip rearrangements are both commercially and creatively spunky, giving legions of Superchick fans an ample tide-me- over without resorting to a straight-up greatest hits package. – Andrew Greer We Recommend: “Still Here” sixteen cities Sixteen Cities (Centricity Music) For Fans Of: Starfield, Luminate 44 CCM