Cool Hand Luke
The Balancing Act
Floodgate Records
Grade - A

            After reviewing “The Fires of Life,” and witnessing Cool Hand Luke live, I was truly blown away.  So the earlier news of a hiatus and the possibility of the end of the band were discouraging.  However, seemingly out of nowhere, along comes “The Balancing Act.” The title describes the root of many difficulties that Christian musicians often struggle with, striking a balance between ministry and art or musicianship and discipleship.

            “The Balancing Act” is both a historical anthology and a quick glance of where they are going.  The liner notes give a detailed description of the bands history and the meaning of the songs on the album.  As a “longsuffering” fan I appreciated the effort put into this CD.  It’s more than just a re-release of old material with no purpose other than to sell CD’s or get a bands name back out into the publics attention, it is more of a way to tell a story, a story of friends, faith, and the struggles  

            The CD includes “I’m Not Ready,” what I consider to be one of the top ten “Christian” songs ever recorded.  The bands piano-driven-emo sound produces a reverent reaction in me few others have been able to elicit.  I look forward to hearing more from the band in the future, and hopefully another chance to catch a live show.

1. Ken W.   

Myspace.com/therealcoolhandluke