Having been called the Christian
Christina Aguilera
in the past,
CCM
pop
artist
Jaci Velasquez
moves on from such saccharine comparisons on the
indie rock
-inflected
Beauty Has Grace
. Sounding more like ex-
Mazzy Star
vocalist
Hope Sandoval
than any
teen pop
diva,
Velasquez
seems more influenced by such
alternative rock
acts as
Ivy
and
the Cardigans
on her sixth English-language release. As much of modern
Christian rock
has attempted to more closely mirror the aesthetics of the secular music world, one might cynically view
's move to a more
rock
-oriented sound as a play to score fans of such faux-
punk-pop
stars as
Ashlee Simpson
Avril Lavigne
. However, as
enters her twenties, it makes sense that her own taste in music would mature, and given the sheer quality of these songs -- the best of which were co-penned by
-- one can only assume that this was an organic and positive change. Similarly, the Christian themes running through the album prove
has stayed true to her
roots while making an album any fan of melodic
alternative pop
could enjoy regardless of his or her spiritual leanings. ~ Matt Collar