When you speak of classic Christian albums that inspired countless other albums that followed, Branded is usually at the top of the list. The honesty and emotion on display in this album was pretty rare for this era of Christian music. I actually didn’t first hear this album until 1994, 8 years after it was first released. The sound was definitely dated, new wave pogo punk, but it was still catchy enough that I loved it despite not really being into that style of music anymore. Over the years Branded has been re-issued on CD as part of various box sets and collections, but never as a stand-alone album. Now it has with a few bonus tracks and updated cover art. Personally, I would have liked to have seen the complete You and I demos as bonus tracks, but maybe that will still happen someday.
Overall this is a great re-issue. The only real complaint I have is with the cheap-looking “25th Anniversary Edition” banner plastered awkwardly on the front cover. Otherwise, a solid addition to the collection of any fan of this era of music.
[2011 Intense Millennium Records | Purchase: intensemillennium.com]
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