Bloom is the third studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 released by Audio Adrenaline

Audio Adrenaline

Audio Adrenaline was a Christian rock band that formed in the late 1980s at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. During the band's 17-year existence, they were awarded two Grammy awards, multiple Dove Awards and they released 17 number one singles. They were regular performers at the...

. In 1999, the album was certified gold

RIAA certification

In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 by RIAA.

Concept

Bloom represented a departure from the band's previous efforts into a more straightforward rock with hints of grunge

Grunge

Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...

 music. According to the band, both the title and the music reflects the way they've matured and "grown into a new phase of life".

Recording

Bloom was recorded in 1995 at various studios on Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

, Ardent Recordings on Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

, The Salt Mine on Brentwood

Brentwood, Tennessee

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,445 people, 7,693 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.63% European American, 1.89% African American,...

, and House of Insomnia on Franklin

Franklin, Tennessee

Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...

. Recording was in charge of producer John Hampton, Erick Flettrich, John Painter, and Jef Curtiss. Hampton was also in charge of the mixing

Audio mixing (recorded music)

In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...

, while the mastering was done by Ken Love at MasterMix, Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

.

Track listing

All songs written by Barry Blair, Bob Herdmann, Will McGinnis, and Mark Stuart, except where noted.

1. "Secret" – 3:43
2. "Never Gonna Be as Big as Jesus" – 4:27
3. "Good People" – 3:26
4. "I'm Not the King" – 3:53
5. "Walk on Water" – 3:52
6. "See Through" – 4:58
7. "Free Ride
   Free Ride (song)
   Free Ride is a song written by Dan Hartman and performed by The Edgar Winter Group. The single, engineered by Jim Reeves, was a top 20 U.S. hit in 1973, hitting number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The song is sometimes mistakenly attributed to The Doobie Brothers or Boston, perhaps because of...
   
   " (Dan Hartman
   Dan Hartman
   Daniel Earl "Dan" Hartman was an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for such songs as: "Free Ride", "I Can Dream About You", "Instant Replay", "Love Sensation", and "Relight My Fire", all of which had world-wide success.-Career:Born in Pennsylvania's capital, Harrisburg,...
   
   ) – 3:23
8. "Man of God" – 4:18
9. "Gloryland" – 4:24
10. "Jazz Odyssey" – 1:22
11. "Bag Lady" – 4:11
12. "I Hear Jesus Calling" – 3:22
13. "Memoir" – 5:10

appears on Hit Parade

Hit Parade (Audio Adrenaline album)

Hit Parade is Audio Adrenaline's first greatest hits album. It features fifteen hits from the band's previous albums, plus two new songs: "Will Not Fade" and "One Like You".-Track listing:#"Will Not Fade"* - 3:49#"I'm Not the King" - 3:52...

appears on Adios: The Greatest Hits

Adios: The Greatest Hits

Adios: The Greatest Hits is the final album released by Christian rock band Audio Adrenaline, and their second Greatest Hits album.- Overview :...

Band members

• Mark Stuart
  Mark Stuart (musician)
  Mark Allen Stuart is a Christian rock musician, and is best known for being the vocalist for the now-retired Christian rock band Audio Adrenaline.-Early life:...
  
   - lead vocals
• Will McGinniss - bass, vocals
• Bob Herdmann - guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Barry Blair - guitar, vocals

Additional musicians

• Greg Herrington - drums
• Todd Collins - percussion montage, background vocals
• John Hampton - percussion montage
• Ben Cissell - percussion montage
• Eddie DeGarmo
  Eddie DeGarmo
  Eddie DeGarmo is an American Contemporary Christian music recording artist, keyboardist, producer and singer. Became best friends with guitarist/lead vocalist Dana Key since the first grade, DeGarmo co-founded the Christian rock group DeGarmo and Key in 1978...
  
   - keyboard arrangements

Production and recording

• John Hampton - producer
  Record producer
  A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
  
  , engineer, mixer
• The Gotee Brothers
  The Gotee Brothers
  The Gotee Brothers were a Contemporary Christian Music group formed of Toby McKeehan , Joey Elwood, and Todd Collins that recorded one album in the 1990s entitled "ERACE". The album's name abbreviated "Eliminating Racism and Creating Equality", and its contents dealt with racial issues...
  
   - producers
• Eddie DeGarmo - executive producer
• Dan R. Brock - executive producer
• Erick Flettrich - engineer
• John Painter - engineer
• Jef Curtiss - engineer
• Todd Collins - additional engineering on "See Through"
• Reid Waltz - additional engineering on "See Through"
• Ken Love - mastering
• John Falls - photography
• Rusty Rust - aluminum photography
• Kerri McKeehan Stuart - art direction
• Brad Talbott - design

Reception

Critical

Bloom was well received by the audience becoming the first album of the band to be certified gold

RIAA certification

In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 by RIAA. John DiBiase, of Jesus Freak Hideout

Jesus Freak Hideout

Jesus Freak Hideout is a Christian music website. The website specializes in reviewing, previewing, and selling Christian albums. The website is known for its album reviews, independent music, artist interviews, concert dates and ministry through devotionals and prayer...

, gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it "a brave and risky album for the band that only proved to be an ultimately wise stylistic change... it's among their best, and a dang good 90's rock album." Paul Portell, also of Jesus Freak Hideout, gave it 3.5 stars out of 5, and wrote that the album "showed Audio A's growth and potential... No 90's Christian rock fan should be without this monumental project." Sherwin Frias, of Jesus Freak Hideout too, praised the band's improved songwriting and called the album "fantastic" and "essential for any AudioA fan".

External links

• Bloom on Amazon
  Amazon.com
  Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...