Solid pop-rock
American (Nashville based) four piece Abel are looking to widen their American fan base to take in an over seas market, they have quite a clean cut rock sound, the occasional burst of heavier guitar punctuates the crisp and uncluttered production, the vocals are strong and clear and their riffs are solid. They bring to mind (a slightly softer version of)Brand New at times, musically at least, there's no getting away from the religious overtones in the lyrics though which although they are often focussed on making the most of life and what we have can be a touch saccharine on occasion. They certainly don't shy away from talking directly about God mind you, so kudos for not staying away from subject matter than may, (debatably) hold them back a little in a UK market where our rock music tends to treat overtly religious subject matter more as an underground or niche concern.
The band's sound no doubt win them some fans though, Paramore managed it after all although their lyrics tend to be a bit more subtly coloured and ambiguous. The album as a whole does have some great tunes, pretty catchy melodies drive everything and there isn't a shortage or sing along moments, even in the quieter moments on tracks like 'Take Me Home' and they employ some nice quirky, jagged riffs on some tracks like the stop start rhythms and guitar on 'Standing Still' which is one of the strongest tracks on the album quickly followed up by another strong and catchy tune 'Come Ye Weary' which has a great vocal. Overall, a solid release with some nice touches and plenty of heart.