he music of Red is heavy. It is burdened with the cumbersome cares of this life. Those engulfed in pain can relate to these weighty rock anthems. Red seeks to impact people in the secular rock world. I fully believe they are effective in that measure.

Parents: your struggling teenage son will relate to this music. It will strike a chord within him. Your daughter will identify with the aching ballads.

At first listen, these songs may seem hopeless and dreary to a Christian ear. Sadly, when “Innocence & Instinct” (Essential Records) is received in its entirety, it emerges much the same as it was originally received.

“Innocence & Instinct” does a wonderful job describing how difficult, divisive and painful life can be. However, it does not do a good job of pointing the listener to Jesus for hope and restoration. A discerning listener can figure out the subtle allusions to God within the album. However, a secular, unrenewed mind may not be able to pick up those references.

For example, the song “The Fight Inside” contains these lyrics: "And it finds me/The fight inside is coursing through my veins/And it’s raging/The fight inside is hurting me again/And it finds me/The war within me pulls me under/And without you, the fight inside is breaking me again."

Christians would most likely say the “you” in that song is God. A non-Christian person may not think that way.

When people living in worldly lifestyles listen to Red’s music, the songs offer hope compared to most of the secular rock world. I think “Innocence & Instinct” can serve as a bridge from the secular world to Jesus. However, an explanation of redemption and freedom in Jesus would need to be shared in conjunction with Red’s music.

Red covered Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” on this album. That familiar song would make a great connecting point of conversation between a believer and a non-believer. Or even between a concerned parent and a wayward teen. I see much potential for redemptive purpose on this album, if the songs are applied correctly.

For more information on Red and to listen to samples of their music, visit their website at http://www.redmusiconline.com. To purchase “Innocence & Instinct” go to http://www.amazon.com or http://www.musichristian.com.