The Reckoning

Needtobreathe’s fourth studio full-length is the product of touring nonstop for two solid years while promoting 2009’s successful The Outsiders. With 2011’s The Reckoning, residual wanderlust can be heard from song to song as the South Carolina quartet traverses various musical styles like it's passing through different American states. After a subdued intro, “Oohs and Ahhs” rocks out with loud rootsy tones, as if the brothers Rinehart had been taking lessons from the brothers Followill (of Kings of Leon). (The incredible jam at the end does well to translate Needtobreathe’s live prowess.) “Drive All Night” is a similar standout, rocking with the emotional urgency of a Bruce Springsteen hit while retaining a youthful intensity on par with L.A. roots-rockers Dawes. Things simmer down in the somber ballad “A Place Only You Can Go,” one of the band’s best-penned love songs, before following with “Slumber,” a triumphant folk-rock tune that recalls Cat Stevens’ heyday.