Kings & Queens (2013)

Kings & Queens is the ninth studio album by the Christian modern rock band Audio Adrenaline. It was released on March 12, 2013 and it is the first of two albums on the Fair Trade Services label and distributed by Sony Music.

Kings & Queens marked the return of Audio A after an eight year absence. In 2012, former members Mark Stuart and Will McGinniss, along with the band's new manager Wes Campbell, decided to re-launch the band with a new line-up. Both had asked former DC Talk member Kevin Max to be the new lead singer. Max had previously worked with Audio A on the track "My World View" (from their 1993 album Don't Censor Me) and both bands had gone on tour together.

In addition to Max, they also added Dave Ghazarian of Superchic(k) on the guitar, Jared Byers of Bleach on the drums, Jason Walker on keyboards, and McGinniss on bass. McGinniss is the only original member from the original lineup to play bass on the album, while Stuart also got involved behind the scenes as a songwriter and as a co-executive producer as well as the participation of other studio musicians. Dwayne Larring produced the tracks "Fire Never Sleeps" and "I Climb the Mountain," while Seth Mosley produced the rest of the album.

It was released to critical acclaim, particularly on the title track. It came out in the fall of 2012 as the lead single. "Kings & Queens" deals with themes of Christian service to "the least of these," a reference to Matthew 25:40. The song was inspired by the band's work with the Hands & Feet Project, a ministry to Haitian orphans. The music video for the song was filmed at the project in Haiti and features some of the orphans helped by the ministry. It became a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Christian radio charts. The rest of the album's sound is more techno-based rock ambiance with heartfelt lyrics, quite different from the rawness of their rock albums in the 1990s and 2000s. Former Group 1 Crew member and solo vocalist Blanca provided additional vocals on the track "20:17 (Raise the Banner)."

Kings & Queens debuted and peaked at number 4 on the Top Christian Albums and at number 70 on the Top 200 Albums charts in Billboard magazine. Max, McGinniss and the rest of the rhythm section left this variation of Audio A after this release and tour.

Track listing

1. He Moves You Move (Mark Stuart, Jason Walker) -3:04

2. Kings & Queens (Chuck Butler, Juan Otero, Joel Parisien) -3:50

3. Believer (Kevin Max, Mark Stuart, Jason Walker) -3:29

4. King of the Comebacks (Kevin Max, Mark Stuart, Seth Mosley) -3:04

5. Change My Name (Kevin Max, Mark Stuart, Seth Mosley) -3:53

6. 20:17 (Raise the Banner) (Mark Stuart, Jason Walker, Dominic Balli) -3:24

7. Fire Never Sleeps (Martin Smith, Nick Herbert) -4:34

8. Seeker (Kevin Max, Mark Stuart, Seth Mosley) -3:21

9. I Climb the Mountain (Ricky Jackson, Anthony Skinner) -4:29

10. The Answer (Kevin Max, Seth Mosley) -3:59

Personnel

Audio Adrenaline:

Kevin Max -lead vocals

Will McGinniss -bass guitar

Dave Ghazarian -guitars

Jason Walker -keyboards, vocals

Jared Byers -drums

Production credits

Seth Mosley -producer (tracks 1 -6, 8 and 10)

Jason Walker -co-producer (track 3)

Dwayne Larring -producer (tracks 7 and 9)

Radio singles

2012 -2013 "Kings & Queens" -#4 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, #4 Billboard

Christian Airplay, #7 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

2013 "Believer" -#19 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, #19 Billboard Christian Airplay,

#23 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

Previous release: Big House to Ocean Floor (2013) (ForeFront Records compilation

album)

Next release: Sound of the Saints (2015)

Watch the music video of "Kings & Queens" here:

Watch the music video of "Believer" here: