For Christmas, I really only wanted one thing…well, it was actually 6 things.  I wanted the entire Needtobreathe album collection in Vinyl.  They have 6 studio albums and I am glad to say, Santa was good to me as I now have all their studio albums in Vinyl.  And what a collection it is.

I became a fan back off their first album “Daylight” which came out in 2006.  They have been labeled a Christian band, but they are really so much more than that label.  They are folk, southern rock, country, pop, rock and Christian all at the same time.  Their songwriting is exceptional with great stories and positive messages.  Bear Rinehart’s voice is amazing and carries so much emotion and he draws you into each song and takes you on a wonderful journey.

The band consists of the following:

• Bear Rinehart – lead vocals
• Bo Rinehart – lead guitar
• Seth Bolt – bass
• Josh Lovelace – keyboards/organ

The original drummer, Joe Stillwell, left the band in 2012 and they now have a touring drummer, Randall Harris, who is not an official member of the band.  Musically, the band is loaded with exceptional musicians and they are amazing to see live.  You should check them out.

The Vinyl collection I received was outstanding. Not every album had something special about them, but the ones that did were really special.  Here they are in chronological order.  I will do a list down the road that puts them in order of goodness as there is no badness.

‘Daylight’ – Atlantic Records, 2006:

Their debut album didn’t have anything special in the vinyl edition, other than a chance to listen to these great songs in a different format.  The album sleeve did have the lyrics, so that was a nice touch.

‘The Heat’ – Atlantic Records, 2007:

Their second album was a continuation of the greatness from the first album.  It solidified for me that these guys were for real and should have a long career.  What is cool about this collection is that album is only 3 sides.  Yes, that is right. I said only 3 sides.  I don’t think I have ever seen a collection of songs that was not an even number of sides.  What on earth is on the 4th side of the album?  Well, I will tell you.  It is an etched artwork of the band name, the album name and what appears to be a bird.  I think it is probably a Phoenix. It is really cool.

‘The Outsiders’ – Atlantic Records, 2009:

Their third album, ‘The Outsiders’, started giving them some bigger successes.  They continued to grow as songwriters and musicians and were becoming a force to the be reckoned with.  The vinyl edition didn’t have anything unusual or out of the ordinary.  The insert had some pictures and the lyrics for the album.  Still, it is a must for your Needtobreathe collection.

‘The Reckoning’ – Atlantic Records, 2011:

Their fourth album, ‘The Reckoning’, shows how much they have grown over the years.  They have crafted some of the best songs of their careers on this album.  The Vinyl Edition is a 2 disc set and the cool thing about it is that their are 2 previously unreleased songs added to this edition.  The songs are “Cops” and “Disaster Road” and both were worthy enough to be on the original release.

‘Rivers in the Wasteland’ – Atlantic Records, 2014:

‘Rivers in the Wasteland’ brought a much darker tone to their sound.  The band was going through a bad time and it was reflected on this album.  However, that doesn’t take away from anything.  Lyrically, the album is amazing and worth giving a deep, hard listen.  The Vinyl Edition doesn’t offer up anything special other than great music.

‘Hard Love’ – Atlantic Records, 2016:

Their 6th album is another departure for the band.  This album brings us a more Pop Rock sound than in the past.  Although different, it is exceptional. Please read my review at this link.  The Vinyl Edition brings us one of the coolest color disc I have seen.  It is a white marble disc and for that reason, it is the coolest of the whole lot, in my opinion.  On top of that, they through in a CD of the album as well.  Why would you not get this one???

I will admit this was my favorite present for this Christmas even though I did receive a cool ass Def Leppard shirt and some awesome Kiss Pajama pants.  I did get some gift cards and there is something Vinyl I am eyeing and I will let you know if I get it because it will make for a great post!