Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Krystal Meyers goes really pop on new CD

With the release of her third album, "Make Some Noise," Krystal Meyers does a complete turnaround. The girl who once sounded close to Avril Lavigne now sounds like Hannah Montana or a younger Hilary Duff. Punk rock guitar riffs are now replaced with electronic synths and bouncy beats.

I bought Meyers' CD expecting this change, but fans who haven't been keeping up with her are in for a big surprise. The CD is worth the listen though, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable.

The first song and title track, "Make Some Noise," does a good job of letting you know this album isn't her usual style. The song is very bouncy and sets the pace for the rest of the album. And a lot like the first track, "Shine" is an upbeat song that has a club-like feel. Both songs can get you dancing if you're not careful.

Still popish but on the more serious side lyrically are "Love it Away" and "You'll Never Know." Both songs offer a message of hope and love while still having a fun atmosphere.

The songs "S.O.S." and "My Freedom" give listeners a break from the total pop that envelops this CD and borders more on her older style. "My Freedom" is especially emotional and gives Meyers a chance to show fans that she can still sing deep, passionate vocals.

Though it may seem like just another love song, "Feels So Right" has one of the best backbeats on the album. And what's a love song without a breakup song to go along with it?

"Up To You" surprised me when I first heard it because it sounds like a slow pop song straight out of the '90s.

"Beautiful Tonight" is a song that could have many meanings. Filled with somewhat angsty lyrics, Meyers sings a wonderful song, emotion showing through each word.

"In Your Hands" is a bit of a slower song about trust without understanding. Meyers shines vocally in this song and leaves the listener with a warm feeling.

So while it may not be the typical Krystal Meyers sound fans have come to love, "Make Some Noise" is worth buying if you can appreciate creative beats and a good pop sound.

Christian Music News Source

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Christian singer Krystal Meyers juices latest CD, performances with fun dance-pop

Krystal Meyers is 20 years old. She's too young to remember the exhilarating dance-pop sound that joyfully engulfed much of mainstream radio in the '80s.

But you'd never know that from listening to her third album, Make Some Noise, an addictive merger of percolating synthesizer lines, hooky propulsive choruses and inspirational lyrics.

The contemporary Christian singer-songwriter did a musical about-face after recording two discs, 2005's Krystal Meyers and 2006's Dying for a Heart, marked by a penchant for the Avril Lavigne style of pop-rock.

Ms. Meyers, sounding exuberantly idealistic and youthful, sees her artistic switch as a boon for her stage performances.

"You want to write something that's fun onstage," she says by phone from Columbus, Ohio. "That's one thing that is exciting with this new record. That fun, dance, '80s feel to it brings a new element to the stage. There isn't a lot of this in the Christian music industry. I've been listening to this a lot and I want to bring the fun, pop feel to the ministry. I wanted to make a record that I would have fun performing, too. That's always a key element in making a record."

Ms. Meyers realizes she may have picked up a few new fans thanks to the style of Make Some Noise.

"It's been cool 'cause it's been appealing to young adults as well 'cause it takes you back to listening to Cyndi Lauper, high school prom and all that other stuff," she says. "It really does appeal to the teenage audience, but it can also appeal to adults."

The teenage audience, specifically teenage girls, will be her focus Friday night and Saturday afternoon at American Airlines Center. Ms. Meyers is part of the Revolve Tour: All Access, an event aimed at sixth- through 12th-grade girls that addresses issues such as friends, body image, self-esteem, relationships and faith in God. Music, dramatic re-enactments, videos and personal stories are used to get the messages across.

Ms. Meyers, Natalie Grant, Group 1 Crew, Hawk Nelson and Danielle Kimmey, formerly of Out of Eden, are the Revolve Tour's musical lineup.

"It's a coming-of-age experience for girls," she says. "The audience is from 13 to 17, all teenage girls. It's a big deal. The great thing is that the tour doesn't come and tell you how to solve your problems. 'OK, you're dealing with peer pressure, relationship problems, parents – here's how to fix it.' That's not it. Everyone talks from their personal experiences, the good and the bad, what they've learned from their relationship with Christ. The audience can pull from that. Be honest and real, not sugarcoating anything."

Ms. Meyers probably will perform "Shine" from Make Some Noise. The song, which she co-wrote, features the uplifting line, "You can't get in the way of my shine." That's an example of her ability to craft tunes that balance the spiritual and the universal.

"I am a Christian," she affirms. "My relationship with Christ really does dictate what I do. As an artist you write about what you know. So that is the core of what I sing. But I like to put it in a way that isn't immediately going to drive someone away. Ultimately I want them to hear what I have to say, who Christ is. At the same time you want to write songs that are fun and that don't have to have some deep spiritual meaning. I'm a Christian. But we can have fun music, too." Plan your life

The Revolve Tour: All Access with Krystal Meyers, Natalie Grant, Hawk Nelson and others is from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at American Airlines Center, 2500
Victory. $54 to $74. www.revolvetour.com or www.americanairlines center.com.

Christian Music News Source

Friday, September 19, 2008

Krystal Meyers - Make Some Noise (Essential Records)


Sounds like … programmed pop with a strong '80s influence, resembling Katy Perry, Superchick, Miley Cyrus, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, and even Madonna.

At a glance … with Make Some Noise, Krystal Meyers further establishes herself as one of the brightest new talents in Christian music, again transforming her sound without compromising spiritually or stylistically.

Though Krystal Meyers is still a relatively new artist, she's become readily embraced and one of the biggest pop stars in Christian music. Impressive since it seems like only yesterday when she released her 2005 debut and everyone pegged her as Christian music's answer to Avril Lavinge and Ashlee Simpson. But that following year, she released her follow-up Dying for a Heart, which successfully took her sound into a harder-rocking direction.

In just a few years time, she's reinvented her sound, enjoyed several radio hits, toured internationally, become a pop sensation in Japan, and been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year at the Doves for two years straight. Even the title track of her third album, Make Some Noise, has been used to promote the television line-ups for both ABC and NBC, not to mention the 2008 summer Olympics. Not a bad way to start, eh? And it looks like she'll be making an impact for a while yet.

First, Meyers deserves praise for doing her part to become more than a pop product or fad. The 20-year-old has co-written 29 of the 30 songs on her three albums. Moreover, she's managed to reinvent herself stylistically with each album, keeping her sound fresh. Just as Dying for a Heart was a departure from the first album, Make Some Noise embraces programmed electronic pop strongly influenced by the '80s, produced by DoubleDutch (Mat Kearney, tobyMac). It's very well done and different, yet it somehow all seems to work together as different aspects of Meyers' sound—she's both rock chick and pop star, kind of like Miley Cyrus or Katy Perry.

For that matter, I hope it's not just me, but "Make Some Noise" has a similar '80s synth-rock shuffle to Perry's infamous single about kissing. She takes on the style just as well, but without the objectionable lyrics—how cool-but-weird to hear a Christian artist in step with a popular mainstream artist who used to be a Christian artist. Still, the song is little more than a catchy call to action—for faith, or social action, or a new generation to be heard, it's never really clear. The same is true of "Shine," which resembles the electronic pop of Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, and even early Madonna. It could be about living out our calling, but the song never specifies what it means for something to "get in the way of my shine." And the similar sounding "You'll Never Know" is almost surely about God's ever-present comfort, but again, it's open to broad interpretation. They seem to just scratch the surface of something more meaningful.

The Radio Disney crowd will certainly find plenty to like on this album, with generic responses to romantic infatuation ("Feels So Right") and heartache (the break-up ballad "Up to You"). Songs like these are fine, revealing Meyers' desire to sing about the totality of life as a young Christian woman. But they also show a tendency toward template songwriting, as neither offers much personality or insight as far as dating goes. The same could be said of "Beautiful Tonight," a driving electronic pop song about self-esteem struggles that sounds like virtually every other Christian pop/rock song about self-esteem struggles. Obviously it's a topical anthem for Meyers to use on the Revolve Tour for teen girls with Natalie Grant, Group 1 Crew, and Hawk Nelson, but though the song may be relatable, it's also rather generic and impersonal....

Continue Reading at this Christian Music Review

Krystal Meyers - Dying for a Heart (Essential)

Sounds like … a harder-edged version of Avril Lavigne, Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff, Jessie Daniels, BarlowGirl, and other teen pop/chick rock

At a glance … Krystal Meyers doesn't change what worked so well on her label debut, but simply upgrades it to meet the standards of today's girlie pop/rock

There's something about teen Christian singers and Japanese audiences. Teen pop/rock damsel Krystal Meyers is the latest adolescent sensation to strike a chord in the Asian country—R&B starlets Stacie Orrico and Kierra "KiKi" Sheard both made a mark of their own there not too long ago—scoring a hit album and single which have rivaled even those of seasoned veterans.

Whatever the reasons, people overseas love Meyers, as does her own stateside fan base, which has been waiting dutifully for Dying for a Heart, her sophomore album for Essential Records. Released only a year and a couple of months after her self-titled 2005 debut, Dying for a Heart is for all intents and purposes a continuation of Meyers' first outing, except with a sound that's more aggressive and harder-hitting than the slick, yet generally derivative feel of her debut....

Continue Reading at this Christian Music Review

Krystal Meyers - Krystal Meyers (Essential)

Sounds like … the punk rock influenced modern pop of Avril Lavigne, with other similarities to Superchick, BarlowGirl, Everlife, and ZOEgirl.

At a glance … strong production and catchy rock hooks rescue an album that lacks lyrical depth and sounds too derivative of another young female rocker.

Sixteen-year-old Krystal Meyers, who lives with her family in the Nashville suburb of Franklin, started songwriting at 10 and soon caught the attention of Essential with her peer-oriented music. Having already scored a No. 1 radio hit before the release of her self-titled debut with the catchy surrender anthem "The Way to Begin," it's fair to say that she's off to a strong start.

Ian Eskelin and Wizardz of Oz (Avril Lavigne, Eskelin) produced the album, and though Meyers has writing credit on every track, many of them benefit from Eskelin's additional mastery of melodic hooks. This candy-coated, punk-tinged rock album is a bit like All Star United (Eskelin's old band) with a female vocalist, but there's a more obvious comparison. Meyers and her team have said that they intentionally tried not to emulate Lavigne, but considering Meyers' look, style, and strong rock chick vocal, the comparison is unavoidable and more than apt. Even the central "Anticonformity" message echoes Lavigne, both musically and thematically, though here it's about rebelling against the status quo by finding identity in God....

Continue Reading at this Christian Music Review

Discography

Studio albums
Year Title Chart positions
Billboard Top 200
2005 Krystal Meyers #48
2006 Dying For A Heart #19
2008 Make Some Noise TBA



Singles
Year Title Chart positions[1] Album
U.S. Christian U.S. Christian AC U.S. Christian CHR U.S. Christian Rock JAP
2005 "The Way To Begin"
29
1
Krystal Meyers
"Anticonformity"
1
2006 "Collide"
6
Dying for a Heart
"Beauty of Grace"
17
28
4
2
2007 "Together"
28
23
"Hallelujah"
28
2008 "Make Some Noise"
25
Make Some Noise
"Shine"
"My Freedom"



Music videos
* "Anticonformity" (2005)
* "The Beauty Of Grace" (2006)
* "Hallelujah" (2007)
* "Make Some Noise" (2008)
* "Shine" (TBA)
* "My Freedom" (TBA)



Non-album contributions
* "King of Angels (Feat. Josh Brown)" - from Come Let Us Adore Him



Dance Praise

Krystal Meyers currently has 4 songs featured in the Dance Praise series.

Song Title Song Album Game/Expansion Pack
The Way to Begin Krystal Meyers Pop & Rock Hits
My Savior
Fire Dance Praise 2: The ReMix
The Beauty of Grace Dying for a Heart Contemporary Hits



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History

Krystal Meyers

Krystal's first album was a Pop/Rock album in the vein of Ashlee Simpson and Avril Lavigne. It was released on June 7th 2005 in the US and on May 30 2006 worldwide. The album's lead single "The Way to Begin" charted at #1 on the Christian CHR Charts. Other singles "My Savior" and "Anticonformity" only peaked at #8 while "Fire" peaked at #9. The album peaked at #48 on Heatseekers and went Gold in Japan.



Dying for a Heart

Krystal Meyers' second album was released on September 19, 2006 in the US and on October 24, 2006 worldwide. The album was more edgy than her first album in musical style and in lyrics. This is most clearly seen in the song "The Situation" which openly opposes premarital sex. The album peaked at #19 on Top Heatseekers. Its first single "Collide" hit #6 on the Christian Rock Charts. The second single "The Beauty of Grace" hit #4 on the Christian CHR Charts and #2 in Japan. The third single did not do as well peaking only at #28 on the Christian Rock Charts.



Make Some Noise

Meyers' third studio album is set to release on September 9, 2008 in the US and July 9, 2008 in Japan. The album is very different from her first two albums as she moves more into a pop dance realm with her songs. Krystal's lead single is called "Shine" and it so far has been charting well in the Christian CHR charts, as well as charting at #13 on the iTunes top Christian/Gospel songs chart. Other songs to be released in the album are "Make Some Noise," "Love It Away," and "My Freedom."

Singles "Make Some Noise" and "Shine" can now be purchased for 0.99₵ at the iTunes Store.


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Krystal Meyers

Krystal Meyers (born July 31, 1988) is an American Christian rock musician. She is the daughter of Rick Meyers, creator of the popular Bible study software e-Sword. She started writing songs by age 10 and was playing the acoustic guitar by 13, later releasing her self titled first album at age 16 in 2005. Her second album, Dying for a Heart, was released on September 19th, 2006. Her music combines hard-edged rock with smooth acoustic melodies. Krystal has gathered acclaim for her ability to move from quiet soft-rock songs to fast-paced rock and roll anthems without a hitch.

Aside from positive Christian messages, her songs mainly focus on problems facing teens, such as peer pressure and pre-marital sex. She wrote 'Anticonformity' with the help of a friend while at a Christian summer camp before entering high school[1], and later published it on her self-titled album.

In early June 2008, the music video for "Make Some Noise", the first single from her third album, hit the internet. It shows a different direction in music, incorporating dance into her music. Her third album, also called Make Some Noise is expected to be released on September 9, 2008.[2] The song was later used by NBC in for promoting its fall 2008 line-up.



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