Skillet - 'Awake' Review

Skillet’s latest album, Awake, is a big-hearted, sincere rock record. Added to that, it’s a sharply-crafted, accessible effort. So what’s the problem? Unfortunately, this Tennessee quartet are all emotion and no resonance. Awake touches on universal themes of self-doubt, romantic disillusionment and mortality, but Skillet’s songs tend to veer toward the generic no matter the genuineness of their sentiments. As a result, Awake is one of those albums that’s so professionally made that you wish it had a little less polish and a lot more grit.

Skillet have been around since the mid-‘90s, plying their trade in the world of contemporary Christian rock. Their last album, 2006’s Comatose, found the band transitioning into the mainstream rock world, and certainly Awake looks to cement Skillet’s standing with secular fans. (Tellingly, the press notes for Awake avoid any mention of the words “Christian” or “faith.”) But though the album’s single, “Monster,” has made an impression on the rock charts, Awake suffers from a general blandness. Despite a sweeping, arena-ready sound, Skillet rely so heavily on formula that it negates their occasionally combustive musicianship. Some will object to Skillet simply because they’re Christian rockers, but those complaints really aren’t relevant because the band, led by frontman John Cooper, keep any such messages to a minimum. Instead, the chief reason to be disappointed with this album is that it’s not very interesting.

Produced by Howard Benson, Awake bears his trademark approach to creating rock records. The guitars sound like shiny switchblades, the drums are perfectly calibrated, and the vocals dominate the center of the mix. No doubt, a lot of aspiring bands listen to Benson productions like Awake to learn the “right” way to make commercial rock songs, and you can’t blame them when considering his track record. But when he’s handling a group like Skillet who aren’t particularly compelling, the drawback to Benson’s approach is that it can feel extremely cookie-cutter. Even on strong songs like “Sometimes” or “Never Surrender,” you know you’ve already heard a thousand variations on these kinds of post-grunge tunes. Honestly, Awake serves as a reminder that a reliable producer can help elevate a band’s sound, but he or she can only do so much if the songwriting isn’t all that original.

One of Skillet’s novelties is that they have two women in the band – keyboardist (and John’s wife) Korey Cooper and drummer Jen Ledger – but their most important contribution is as backup singers to soften John Cooper’s boringly rugged vocals. Much like the frontman for Daughtry or Nickelback, Cooper doesn’t sing so much as he groans melodically. Sadly, there isn’t a single song on Awake that isn’t diminished by his moaning – it’s not that it’s technically horrible, it’s just that his macho/hoarse vocal style feels like such a cliché. It’s easily forgotten how important it is for a lead singer to convey a certain amount of presence on the mic – in a way, he’s not just singing for himself but for all of us in the audience. And Awake is irreparably harmed because Cooper lacks that presence.

Awake may be largely a competent, run-of-the-mill affair, but it does improve as the album reaches the halfway point. “Should’ve When You Could’ve” is an emotional mid-tempo breakup song with some oomph to it. “Sometimes” pulls out the distortion-heavy guitars for some grunge-lite. And the closing piano ballad “Lucy” is a sappy but effective ode to a deceased friend. Skillet clearly mean well – their songs are generous, even when they’re about an unfaithful ex – but Awake is very much a case of been there, done that.

'Awake' – Best Tracks:

“Should’ve When You Could’ve” (Purchase/Download)
“Sometimes” (Purchase/Download)
“It’s Not Me It’s You” (Purchase/Download)
“Lucy” (Purchase/Download)
“Never Surrender” (Purchase/Download)

Release date – August 25, 2009
Atlantic Records