''Ordinary Dreamers'' is the second full-length

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

Christian hip hop Christian hip-hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip-hop or holy hip-hop) is a cross-genre of contemporary Christian music and hip-hop. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United State ...

band

Group 1 Crew Group 1 Crew was an American Christian hip hop and R&B band signed to Fervent Records and Warner Bros. Records. They made their debut with the hit song A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song ...

. It was released on September 16, 2008, through

Fervent Records Fervent Records is a contemporary Christian music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Fervent was bought by Word Records in 2005. Current artists * Chris August * Francesca Battistelli * Big Daddy Weave * Everfound * For King & ...

. The album charted at No. 15 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Top Heatseekers The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...

chart. The album was produced by Chris Stevens. The first single from ''Ordinary Dreamers'' was the song "Keys to the Kingdom", released in mid-2008.

Background

The album's release date and title was announced in August 2008. It was produced by Chris Stevens and Andy Anderson. ''Ordinary Dreamers'' includes two tracks, "I See You" and "Keys to the Kingdom", which were from the band's December 2007 remix release, '' No Plan B EP''.

Release

The album was released on September 16, 2008, in the United States on

, one of the same labels as their previous record ''

''. It debuted at #15 on ''Billboards

chart. The first radio single released off ''Ordinary Dreamers'' was the song "Keys to the Kingdom", within about a month of the album's release. The song entered R&R's Christian CHR chart on September 19, and as of October 3 had reached #23. The song then peaked at number #3 and appeared at number #14 on the year end charts. Other singles include "Movin" which reached number #5 on Christian CHR Radio and "Our Time" which reached number #12 on Christian CHR Radio.

Critical reception

The album was received relatively well amongst

Christian music Christian music is a genre of music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christianity, Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence and lament, and its f ...

critics. ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "eva ...

'' reviewer Andree Farias was positive about the album, claiming that it "establishes them as power players in Christian

urban pop Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary rad ...

". The magazine noted that as "one slight thumbs down" the album sometimes falls into offering "

saccharine Saccharin, also called saccharine, benzosulfimide, or E954, or used in saccharin sodium or saccharin calcium forms, is a non-nutritive artificial sweetener. Saccharin is a sultam that is about 500 times sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter or me ...

melodies", specifically on the songs "Change" and "Our Time". Jesus Freak Hideout was also fairly positive, though noting that "the first album was a better place to start", and that it would have been "nice to see something replace" the two tracks ("Keys to the Kingdom" and "I See You") that were also released on the band's remix EP '' No Plan B EP'' from late 2007. ''

Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. His ...

'' magazine, however, highly praised ''Ordinary Dreamers'' for its production and lyrics, giving the album a 9/10 rating.

Music and lyrical themes

The album's title ''Ordinary Dreamers'' is based on the concept of dreaming to do extraordinary things even as an ordinary person. Lead singer Blanca Reyes said, "It's telling our fans 'there's no difference between you and us'." The album's genre is a combination of rap/

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

, R&B and

alt rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

styles as well as

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

influences. The lead single "Keys to the Kingdom" has been defined as having "shifting gears, thick

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

riffs and a plodding vibe". The track "Critical Emergency" features a

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

piece played by Lucy Bonilla.

Track listing

Awards

The album won a

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

for Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the

40th GMA Dove Awards The 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 23, 2009 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2008. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Rebecca St. James, Matth ...

.Nominations Announced for 40th GMA Dove Awards
at CBN.com

References

{{Authority control 2008 albums Group 1 Crew albums Fervent Records albums