The Crossing Kind: “Something Greater” (2017) CD Review

The Crossing Kind is the duo of Jacob Thomas and Christina Noelle, a married couple based in Sacramento, California. On their new EP, Something Greater, they offer a bright, positive-sounding brand of pop folk with gospel elements, particularly in the lyrics. They are joined by Kyle Schonewill, who also produced the album. This is their third release, following a self-titled album and a Christmas EP.

They begin the new EP with “This Ain’t Goodbye,” a song about carrying on after a loved one’s death. It’s not a song of despair, but has a joyous sound as it is about the belief that they’ll see each other again in the afterlife. The opening lines are, “This ain’t goodbye forever/This is just, I’ll see you when I reach the other side.” Jacob sings lead, but they harmonize on the chorus. It has a strong Christian bent, but it is certainly not a bad thing to live in the hope of seeing again the people you miss. That song is followed by “Love Will Lead You Home,” with Christina and Jacob sharing lead vocal duties, each taking different sections. And at one point toward the end Christina sings part of it a cappella. “So if you’ve lost your way/And you feel ashamed/Love will lead you home/There’s always open arms/For a humble heart/When love leads you home.” Again, this song has a very positive, happy sound.

“Sing Over Me” has even a brighter, more positive folk pop sound, and is probably my favorite track on this disc. It really works to lift your spirits, and those “Oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa” vocals are ridiculously catchy. And I think we can all relate to these lines: “These days are flying past/And I can’t rewind or stop time/My first breath to my last/Sing over me.” The EP then concludes with “Where I Wanna Be,” which will be released as the disc’s single, and is the first song I heard from this duo, the song that got me interested. The message, or heart of the song, is somewhat similar to that of Ellis Paul’s “Home,” that the physical space of a house is not what is important and isn’t what makes a home. In this song, The Crossing Kind sing, “We don’t need a structure/As long as we still have each other/Everywhere else is second best/It’s not the four walls/Windows or welcome sign/It’s the hearts that beat inside.” And they sing, “You’re my home, and that’s where I wanna be.”

CD Track List

1. This Ain’t Goodbye
2. Love Will Lead You Home
3. Sing Over Me
4. Where I Wanna Be

Something Greater is scheduled to be released on March 24, 2017.