Royal Tailor

Not since the heyday of dcTalk has a Christian pop group married radical faith with killer grooves as expertly as Royal Tailor does on its self-titled sophomore album. The quartet has honed its music to a still-finer edge on its second outing, delivering ear-snagging praise tunes while branching out into more challenging realms. Lead singer Tauren Wells distinguishes himself with emotive performances that compare favorably with the recent work of Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars. As an ensemble, the band fuses kinetic force with a sure grasp of supple rhythms as it spreads a message of rebirth and empowerment. High-energy outings like “Got That Fire,” “Ready Set Go," and “Making Me New” are galvanizing anthems driven by propulsive beats and punctuated by guitar heroics. “Jesus Love”—featuring testimony by Toby Mac—stands out as a funkified God-centered celebration. Ballads like “Love Song” and “You Are My Rescue” are smooth yet forceful. Most ambitious is “Fight for Freedom (Let the Walls Fall),” a nearly six-minute track that shifts from a simmering march into a dramatic rallying cry, all in the service of spiritual liberation.