Reach  (Audio CD) 
by Warren Barfield

One glance at the song titles on Warren Barfield's Reach, and you get the sense that he's an optimist. Tracks like "I'll Be Alright," "Head Held High," "Come Alive," and "Saved" paint a portrait of a young man who has wrestled some major challenges into submission.

When you consider that Barfield lost a close family friend, his record contract (label folded), and nearly lost his sister in the last three years, it's no wonder we find a much different artist from the freshly scrubbed, Steven Curtis Chapman-wannabe we heard on his self-titled debut. The soul is there and producer Marshall Altman (Marc Broussard, Zebrahead) brings it out masterfully on "I'll Be Alright" and "Head Held High." There's also the clever and catchy hooks of radio-ready tracks like "Saved" and "Come Alive," acoustic pop that shows a nice maturation for Barfield's songwriting as well as a good sense for ear candy. Going deeper, "Beyond the Walls" is a fine example of beautiful melodies and forthright lyrics as Barfield acknowledges there's more to his cause: "I'm a temporary thing/My 15 minutes are ticking away/But I'm living for something more." Soulful ballads like "Closer" and "Take My Life" prove to be the right bookends with their nice-and-easy, comfortable tempos.

With confidence and a little world-weary wisdom now in him, Barfield has a more believable voice in the Christian world as he has risen above his doubts to find hope and reclaim faith. Now that's a message we all need to hear. --Michael Lyttle