The Face of Love

Background

Before recording their third major studio album, the members of Sanctus Real faced several personal struggles including family deaths. In early February 2005, drummer Mark Graalman and his wife had a child, and on the same day, Graalman received news of his father's failing health due to cancer. Within two months his father and lead vocalist Matt Hammit's grandmother died, and the band's bassist left the group. Hammit said in an interview, "It basically left [us] feeling pretty confused about what was next for Sanctus Real, what kind of record we were going to make and how it was even going to happen." The album's final track, "Benjamin", was written to Graalman's infant son in relation to the father's death.

The band had difficulty in attempting to prepare and record an album following the circumstances at that time. Producer Christopher Stevens encouraged them to write honest songs about the pain that they had experienced, and was credited by the band members as "walking with them through their dark night of the soul experience".

The first recording session occurred in April 2005 in the garage of Stevens' Nashville, Tennessee home, which was used as a temporary studio. "It was so hot in that garage the first session", guitarist Chris Rohman recalled in an interview. "We go in there and we don't have the songs, we don't know what we're doing, we're stressed, he's stressed, and it's like 90 degrees [Fahrenheit] in the studio. Nobody wanted to be there." Stevens began playing over the chords to "I'm Not Alright", initially titled as "I'll Be Fine", and at that point the band decided to rework the song's lyrical theme. "We're not going to lie. We're not going to try to sit here and try to sugarcoat what's happening right now or say something because it sounds good. I'm not alright", Matt Hammit said. The previous material they had written was lyrically "shifted to the stuff we were going through at [that] point". "I'm Not Alright", which became the album's lead single, was rewritten and represented the themes of brokenness and confession on The Face of Love. Mark Graalman noted: "It's been an unbelievably hard year for the band. But we've learned to rely on God’s grace, and we've learned to be honest and transparent. Being honest and transparent means not faking it; it has to be OK to say, 'No, I'm not alright'."

The Face of Love was recorded and mixed at the fabmusic and Smoakstack studios in Tennessee.

Musical style

The Face of Love has generally been labeled as a melodic alternative rock album, taking influence from the power pop of their debut Say It Loud and the more distinctive rock sound of Fight the Tide. Allmusic's review noted, "If you swirled together Switchfoot's The Beautiful Letdown, Jars of Clay's Good Monsters and U2's How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, the concoction would sound much like this."

Release and promotion

The Face of Love was released on April 4, 2006 through Sparrow Records and Capitol Music Group. It debuted at number 168 on the Billboard 200, and number 2 on Billboard magazine's Top Heatseekers chart. It also reached number 10 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart, and in December 2006, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 and placed at number 158.

Three radio singles were released from the album: "I'm Not Alright", "The Face of Love", and "Don't Give Up". On April 23, 2006, the band launched The Face of Love Tour in promotion of the album; it travelled through the southeast and midwest of the United States, featuring Needtobreathe and This Beautiful Republic as guest artists.

Reception

Upon its release, The Face of Love was generally well-received by music critics. Jared Johnson of Allmusic gave a 4.5/5 review, praising Matt Hammit's lead vocals as "so rich and mature that he could practically sing a computer owner's manual to rave reviews"; it was also labeled by Allmusic as an AMG Album Pick. The title track "The Face of Love" received individual accolade, as well: Jesus Freak Hideout main editor John DiBiase called it "probably the band's best [song] to date", while Christianity Today said that it was a "beautiful illustration". The album was noted to somewhat "lack distinction" by Christianity Today, however; the magazine's review noted, "Based on the songwriting, this is Sanctus Real's most mature effort to date ... Though it all sounds great, there's ultimately something a little lacking ... [W]hile there is indeed growth here, it doesn't necessarily make The Face of Love a step forward in excellence compared to the band's two previous efforts."

The Face of Love was nominated for the Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year honor at the 2007 GMA Dove Awards. The album's lead single "I'm Not Alright" also received a Dove Award nomination, in the category Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year.