Chris Quilala is an artist that I was unfamiliar with until recently. One day I heard his song Because Of Your Love and my interest was immediately piqued. There was something about the music that reminded me of Peter Gabriel circa 1986 mixed with Coldplay. After playing the song a few more times I was hooked.
This incredible song was from his debut album Split The Sky which was released in 2016. Split The Sky is quite a musical experience. It is fifty seven minutes of ultra modern, keyboard driven praise and worship music. The album is filled with wonderfully dreamlike musical atmospheres. Chris Quilala has an extremely pleasant singing voice. He has a quality to his vocals that brings to mind Coldplay’s singer Chris Martin.
Overall the songs are mid tempo keyboard drenched soundscapes that provide a great platform for Quilala’s vocals. The drums, real and programmed, are mixed to great effect. They drive the songs as well as add to the music’s atmosphere. Guitars are scarce on the album. When there is a guitar solo it is brief but effective. I love the sound of guitars, but at no point did I crave more on this album. The keyboards and pianos are more than enough.
Split The Sky is an impressive debut album. Everything on tbe album, the production values, the vocals, the songwriting, the lyrics and the music are excellent. Chris Quilala is a young and extremely promising new solo artist on the Christian music scene. I can only imagine what he has in store for his followup release.
Troy T.
Shades Of Noir 