American Idol may be the worst, corrupted reality show on television, but it did one thing right in showcasing the new band Sons of Sylvia on last week’s episode. Not only were they featured on TV, their debut album, Revelation, is actually very entertaining and original. Although they can be generally described as country-pop, Sons of Sylvia’s sound is an interesting fusion of R&B, blues and even gospel.   

The song they performed on Idol, “Love Left To Lose,” is the most commercial song on the album no less. Featuring production from OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder — who happens to be the cousin of the band’s singer — it’s a Coldplay-esque rock song fit for arenas, but by no means indicative of the album’s other songs. The album highlight “50 Ways” uses Bon Jovi-like voice distortions, violins and a thumping beat to create an original, heavy country-rock song. “The War Within” is an unusually long track at six minutes but is also fascinating; it contains marching army sounds and voice clips of evangelists.

The Sons of Sylvia are also strong lyrically. In particular, the title track begins with an amazing intro: “I was born the day John Lennon died/ The paper said he never got to say goodbye/Crazy how you can have anything, but time.”  Other songs avoid the clichés as well that crowd current music.

There is definitely a Christian undertone to some of the songs as well, but it is never so strong that it detracts from their music. The ballad “Song of Solomon” is clearly influenced from the bible, though it never feels overtly Christian rock.

Revelation is an energizing debut for the Sons of Sylvia, who will most likely find success after their stint on television. Although they rose through commercial means, don’t let their connection with American Idol fool you — they are more original than those awful cover versions of great songs that you see on TV. Crossing over and bending many genres of music, Revelation is an interesting listen.

A-