Arkansas (Top40 Charts/ Co3 Official Website) - On the periodic table, CO3 represents carbon trioxide, one of the most explosive elements, while in Biblical pretenses, it stands for the incredibly moving third chapter of Colossians, which is centered around love, compassion and commitment to Christ. In the music world, the Arkansas-based duo comprised of vocalist/guitarist Chad
Little and vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Dave
Romero is preparing to make an impact with Christian music fans around the world, by blending remarkably rich harmonies and powerful production on their debut CD, Determined, which is in stores now.
The group's carefully crafted debut, produced by Rick Lloyd (Third Day), offers up twelve tracks of in your face harmonies reminiscent of the Gatlin Brothers, but with the pop edge of Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood. "In the Christian market, it's a combination nobody else is really trying," admits Little. "But it's who we are as artists, and hopefully the lyrics will make an impact, and reach music fans with a message of hope, encouragement, faith and flat-out fun."
And it's not much of a surprise that the duo's music often draws an immediate comparison to Carrie Underwood's pop-tinged hits, since Little spent a considerable amount of time in the American Idol winner's band, serving as lead guitarist, band leader and songwriter.
"It all started in 1997 when she just turned 14 and I was approached by her manager at the time to listen to her demos and consider putting together her band," he recalls. "I thought she was a little young, but had great pipes, so we decided to team up and rehearse every week together. We started doing a lot of live dates and I wrote a song called 'Don't Talk About Love' that quickly became a concert favorite."
The Grammy Award-winning Underwood and company fielded a number of record label offers long before her days on the number one television program in America. And even after the program, the Underwood connection continued thanks to her former lawyer linking up with CO3 and signing the group to its client roster based on their strong songwriting abilities. The prestigious Jack, Lyon & Jones firm is also the home to Kenny Rogers, Bill Gaither and many others.
The title track kicks off the group's debut album with CO3's signature robust harmonies, calling all believers to stand firm despite moments of rising waves and rocky waters. "He Speaks" calls for an even more introspective frame of mind, but again showcases a unique chemistry rarely covered on either side of the music industry coin. "Dreamer" goes out to those who've ever wished for something, serving as a rally cry for all to follow through with those ambitions and navigate the reigns with God's will at the center. Yet it's "Be Still" that truly encompasses these artists' intentions, talking about waiting on the Lord and His ultimately perfect timing.
"The dynamic for us is that we're continually on an evolutionary process," sums up Little. "We're always striving to be better as singers and songwriters and we pray our songs transcend charts, award categories and culture itself. I believe that in itself is the most spiritual thing we can do and we hope God will say 'well done.' We believe Jesus is the only way to God and our lyrics are about that, but we don't necessarily have to say 'Jesus' throughout every song. We hope people hear our passion and that our observations transcend religion to hopefully help someone right where they are, wherever that may be."
An aggressive marketing campaign is underway to help raise awareness for this dynamic new group. In addition to national radio, video and publicity campaigns, Determined will be featured in Family Christian Stores' "Summer 2" promotion, where the CD will be endcapped with popular releases from Alan Jackson, 33 Miles and others. A cross-country promotional tour will take the group to various radio stations and retail stores throughout the summer and fall, as well as several upcoming national television appearances including 100 Huntley StreetThe Harvest Show (September 14th) and DeeperLiving (air date tbd).
