History Part III

The Third Decade.....

After their first Praise album, Petra recorded what became their next gold record in Beyond Belief.  Beyond Belief sits in our top 5, and rightfully so.  This album is one of their hardest albums after On Fire! and one of their recent releases, Jekyll & Hyde.  This release has a nice mix of songs - from Love to Creed to Seen and Not Heard - just to name some of our favorites.  This release is typically the #1 fan favorite & has a much more polished sound than the raw On Fire!.  Beyond Belief did well for Petra, not only regarding sales, but by winning a Grammy Award for Best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album.  From the Christian perspective, it also won Best Recorded Music Packaging, Best Recorded Song (Beyond Belief), Best Rock Album & also Group of the Year!

Unseen Power was the next project for Petra.  This release is also very hard rocking, though it is decidedly different than anything Petra had done before.  The sound is extremely polished & the album feels ultra-commercial.  While this release is harder sounding, it also marks what seemed to the beginning of toning down their sound.  There are more "softer" songs on this album with Hand on My Heart, Hey World, In The Likeness of You, etc.  This release was not as popular as Beyond Belief from a sales standpoint, though it did earn a Grammy for Best Rock / Contemporary Album, as well as a Dove Award for Best Rock Recorded Song (Destiny).  Our favorites are Dance, I Need to Hear from You, Sight Unseen & In the Likeness of You.

Petra En Alabanza was released in 1992, following Unseen Power.  This release is a Spanish language rendition of Petra Praise, released in 1989.  While we have never heard this album (hablo espanol un poco!), it is a good album that helped to build Petra's incredible fan base overseas.

Wake Up Call was another evolutionary change in the sound of Petra, bringing back longtime producer Brown Bannister.  There are a couple of hard rock songs, some mid-temple & a couple of radio ballads, once again toning down the Petra sound another notch.  This album did earn Petra a Dove Award for best Rock Album & a Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album.  Our favorites on this album include Praying Man, Believer in Deed, Marks of the Cross & Just Reach Out.

The Year, 1994.  Petra is inducted into the Hard Rock Cafe, becoming the first Christian group to ever be inducted.  Kudos!

No Doubt was released in 1995 along with massive line-up changes.  Gone is Founder & Guitarist Bob Hartman (Bob wanted to spend more time with the family, though he continues to pen the music) and keyboardist John Lawry.  Youth is served with the additions of Jim Cooper & David Lichens, along with an alternative sound brought about by other mid-90's acts.  Considerable debate exists as to whether this is successful, but with songs like Enter In, More Than A Thousand Words, No Doubt, etc - these are some catchy tunes.  Again though, this album is by far one of the softest rock albums Petra has done to date.  There are 3 rock songs, 3 mid-tempo songs & 5 ballads on this release.  This also marked Petra's 9th Dove Award, winning Rock Album of the Year.

Petra Praise II - We Need Jesus marked Petra's second (and we feel, best) praise album.  This release also marks the release of 3 band members, with Cooper, Lichens & bassist Ronnie Cates departing with Pete Orta, Kevin Brandow & Lonnie Chapin coming on board to take their places.  This is a great Praise album!  Barring 1, perhaps 2 songs, we like all of the rest.  This release also proved to be one of Petra's best selling as well as winning their 10th Dove Award for Praise and Worship Album of the Year.

God Fixation marked yet another change in sound for Petra with the newest band members contributing to help shape the sound.  This is one of our least favorite albums as it is toned down & just doesn't click for us.  The only songs that we like are If I Had to Die for Someone & St Augustine's Pears.  The secular world did recognize Petra for this album with a Grammy for Best Rock Gospel Album.

Double Take is a quasi-acoustical remake of 10 of Petra's classic songs, along with 2 new ones.  Having liked each & every one of the original songs, this album was very hard for me to get through.  For example, This Means War! is very anathematic in it's original form, but is practically anti-climatic in its current iteration.  While it's advertised as an acoustical remake, it really boils down to new music for the classic songs.  We really just don't like it, with exception to the 2 news songs - The Longing & Breathe In.  We would have preferred to hear John singing on Breathe In - rather than Pete, but it is nice, if not different, to hear someone other than John singing.

Revival is Petra's 3rd turn at a Praise Album.  Picked up by Inpop when it seemed no one else was interested, this release is almost like an alternative praise album.  It features many Praise Songs that originated overseas.  More band line-up changes occur on this album, with Petra focusing in on the trio of Bob Hartman, Louie Weaver & John Schlitt.  Yes, we did say Bob Hartman - he's BACK!  We have come to love Amazing Grace as well as Send Revival & Better is One Day on this album.  With so many Christian artists taking their stabs at Praise Albums though, this album doesn't get it's due.

Jekyll & Hyde.  Ahhh yes.  The long awaited Rock Album.  No, make that HARD ROCK album that fans have been salivating after.  This album ROCKS.  After opening with the gut wrenching title cut, this album doesn't seem to want to stop rocking - at least until the 2nd side.  Even then, it picks back up until the last 2 songs again.  While this album has become one of our favorites - and definitely in the top 5, it does seem as though they tried too hard.  Our favorites are Jekyll & Hyde, Would'a Should'a Could'a, Life As We Know It & Till Everything I Do.

Jekyll & Hyde En Español followed the original album less than a year later.  Catering once again to the Spanish audience, Petra continues to win new fans overseas.  Again, we haven't listened to this one, though we may pick up a copy just to check it out.

What's next?  That's a good question.  Hopefully though, Petra will remain on the Road to Rock & not detour again on the back roads of softer, toned down pop/rock.  Whatever the case, we will be one of the first ones in line for the next release!