''Ordinary Dreamers'' is the second full-length

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

Christian hip hop Christian hip hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip hop or holy hip hop) is a subgenre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United S ...

band

Group 1 Crew Group 1 Crew was an American Christian hip hop band signed to Fervent Records and Warner Bros. Records. They made their debut with the hit song "Can't Go On" on WOW Hits 2007. Soon after they released their first EP ''I have a dream'' (2006 ...

. It was released on September 16, 2008 through

Fervent Records Fervent Records is a contemporary Christian music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Fervent was bought by Word Records in 2005. Current artists * Chris August * Francesca Battistelli * Big Daddy Weave * Everfound * For King & ...

. The album charted at No. 15 on ''

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Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

chart. The album was produced by Chris Stevens. The first single from ''Ordinary Dreamers'' was the song "Keys to the Kingdom", released in mid-2008.

Background

The album's release date and title was announced in August 2008. It was produced by Chris Stevens and Andy Anderson. ''Ordinary Dreamers'' includes two tracks, "I See You" and "Keys to the Kingdom", which were from the band's December 2007 remix release, '' No Plan B EP''.

Release

The album was released on September 16, 2008 in the United States on

, one of the same labels as their previous record ''

''. It debuted at #15 on ''Billboards

chart. The first radio single released off ''Ordinary Dreamers'' was the song "Keys to the Kingdom", within about a month of the album's release. The song entered R&R's Christian CHR chart on September 19, and as of October 3 had reached #23. The song then peaked at number #3 and appeared at number #14 on the year end charts. Other singles include "Movin" which reached number #5 on Christian CHR Radio and "Our Time" which reached number #12 on Christian CHR Radio.

Critical reception

The album was received relatively well amongst

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely aroun ...

critics. ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evan ...

'' reviewer Andree Farias was positive about the album, claiming that it "establishes them as power players in Christian urban pop". The magazine noted that as "one slight thumbs down" the album sometimes falls into offering "

saccharine Saccharin (''aka'' saccharine, Sodium sacchari) is an artificial sweetener with effectively no nutritional value. It is about 550 times as sweet as sucrose but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations. Saccharin is ...

melodies", specifically on the songs "Change" and "Our Time". Jesus Freak Hideout was also fairly positive, though noting that "the first album was a better place to start", and that it would have been "nice to see something replace" the two tracks ("Keys to the Kingdom" and "I See You") that were also released on the band's remix EP '' No Plan B EP'' from late 2007. ''

Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. Hi ...

'' magazine, however, highly praised ''Ordinary Dreamers'' for its production and lyrics, giving the album a 9/10 rating.

Music and lyrical themes

The album's title ''Ordinary Dreamers'' is based on the concept of dreaming to do extraordinary things even as an ordinary person. Lead singer Blanca Reyes said, "It's telling our fans 'there's no difference between you and us'." The album's genre is a combination of rap/ hip hop, R&B and alt rock styles as well as

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

influences. The lead single "Keys to the Kingdom" has been defined as having "shifting gears, thick

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

riffs and a plodding vibe". The track "Critical Emergency" features a horn piece played by Lucy Bonilla.

Track listing

Awards

The album won a

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awar ...

for Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the

40th GMA Dove Awards The 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 23, 2009 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2008. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Rebecca St. James, Matthew ...

.Nominations Announced for 40th GMA Dove Awards
at CBN.com

References

{{Authority control 2008 albums Group 1 Crew albums Fervent Records albums