The Outsiders (album)

The Outsiders
Studio album by Needtobreathe
Released	August 25, 2009
Recorded	2008–2009
Genre	Rock, Christian rock
Length	48:49
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Needtobreathe John Alagía Rick Beato Jim Scott
Needtobreathe chronology
The Heat (2007) The Outsiders (2009) The Reckoning (2011)
Singles from The Outsiders
"Lay 'Em Down" Released: June 2009 "Something Beautiful" Released: August 2009

The Outsiders is the third album from the American rock band Needtobreathe. It was released on August 25, 2009.

Background

The album was recorded from the end of 2008 through April 2009. The Outsiders was co-produced by the band along with Jim Scott, John Alagía, and Rick Beato, who produced portions of their previous album, The Heat.

Release

The album's first single, "Lay 'Em Down", was released to Christian radio at the beginning of June 2009 and was released on iTunes on June 16. The next single from the album, "Something Beautiful", was released in August. The album reached #20 on the Billboard 200 and #9 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Outsiders"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	4:29
2.	"Valley of Tomorrow"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	4:02
3.	"Through Smoke"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	3:12
4.	"Lay 'Em Down"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	3:11
5.	"What You've Done to Me"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	3:21
6.	"Hurricane"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	4:07
7.	"These Hard Times"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	3:39
8.	"Stones Under Rushing Water" (featuring Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek)	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	3:24
9.	"Prisoner"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	3:15
10.	"Won't Turn Back"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	3:09
11.	"Girl Named Tennessee"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	2:58
12.	"Something Beautiful"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	3:42
13.	"Garden"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	3:41
14.	"Let Us Love"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	3:42

Deluxe Edition bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"Said Too Much"	Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart	4:20

Personnel

Needtobreathe

• Bear Rinehart – vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, organ, production on all tracks
• Bo Rinehart – guitar, backing vocals, synthesizer, production on all tracks
• Seth Bolt – bass, backing vocals, production on all tracks, engineering on all tracks, mixing on track 5
• Joe Stillwell – drums, percussion, production on all tracks

Additional personnel

• Sara Watkins – vocals on track 8
• Scotty Wilbanks – piano on tracks 2 and 4, organ on tracks 2 and 4
• Casandra Williams – vocals on track 5
• Sandra Benser – vocals on track 5
• Carolyn Hancock – strings on track 13
• Jeanne Johnson – strings on track 13
• Tania Maxwell Clements – strings on track 13
• David Hancock – strings on track 13
• Michael Gleason – string arrangement on track 13
• Rick Beato – production on tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 13, engineering on tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 13
• Ken "Grand" Lanyon – engineering on tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 13
• Jim Scott – production on tracks 1, 5, 8, 9 and 14, engineering on tracks 1, 5, 8, 9 and 14, mixing on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13 and 14
• Kevin Dean – engineering on tracks 1, 5, 8, 9 and 14
• John Alagía – production on tracks 10, 11 and 12, mixing on tracks 9 and 12
• Brian Scheuble – engineering on tracks 10, 11 and 12

Music videos

• "Lay 'Em Down"
• "Hurricane"
• "Something Beautiful"

Critical review

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic (Andrew Leahey)
CCM Magazine (Matt Conner)	Favorable
Christian Music Review (Liz Haveman)
Cross Rhythms (Ian Webber)
Jesus Freak Hideout (Jen Rose)
Melodic.net (Pär Winberg)
New Release Tuesday (Kevin Davis)

Allmusic's Andrew Leahey suggested The Outsiders by NEEDTOBREATHE that it "offer[s] up another collection of sweeping, reverent rock songs". In addition, Leahey alluded to how the album "flirts with touches of roots rock and traditional gospel, though, from the title track's powerful Southern stomp to the sheer power of Bear Rinehart's voice." Leahey noted the album "covers more ground than records by similar artists, and it does so without alienating any of its secular-minded listeners, too."

CCM Magazine's Matt Conner indicated that NEEDTOBREATHE's The Outsiders "brings even more evidence to the table that Rinehart's rock sensibilities only improve with time." Furthermore, Conner mentioned that the album's "second half provides some of the most beautiful moments on the record."

Christian Music Review's Liz Haveman criticized NEEDTOBREATHE's The Outsiders as respect to "some of the songs are confusing in their message. They are a little too vague to really grasp what these guys are trying to say." Haveman highlighted how "the music itself is really enjoyable. It has a “Jack Johnson”-ish quality to its laid back candor. Over all, the album is really enjoyable and I think it is going to satisfy the Needtobreathe fan base."

Cross Rhythms Ian Webber underscored how NEEDTOBREATHE's The Outsiders "have crafted an excellent collection of tracks that wrestle with issues of faith and doubt in an honest and accessible way."

Jesus Freak Hideout's Jen Rose evoked NEEDTOBREATHE's The Outsiders as being "one of those rare gems where every track stands out, some pulling you in with a catchy intro or a clever lyric, others surfacing after spending time with the music."

Melodic.net's Pär Winberg underlined NEEDTOBREATHE's The Outsiders "if you also add really good song writing to that - you all understand that you have a killer album." Winberg concluded with calling it "a fabulous demonstration how good music should sound like."

New Release Tuesday's Kevin Davis emphasized NEEDTOBREATHE's The Outsiders as comprising "the most catchy and meaningful album [I've] heard this year."

Awards

In 2010, the album won a Dove Award for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 41st GMA Dove Awards. The song "Lay 'Em Down" also won Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year.