Produced by Ed Cash (Chris Tomlin, Leeland, Chris August), This Is What We Believe retains a poetic simplicity, even amidst a warm and sometimes adventurous sound architecture. It’s vintage Aaron Shust, to be sure, but with Cash at the helm, the familiar textures seem to fall together in new ways.
“Ed really pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Aaron explains. “He could hear possibilities in the melodies and even in my voice that I hadn’t explored before. He had me singing more passionately, less precisely, higher, louder and even more quietly than I ever had before. And it worked. This Is What We Believe is an honest reflection of who I am as an artist, but Ed managed to draw that out and express it in ways that never would have occurred to me. It was a great collaboration.”
The dynamic of that collective chemistry seems to have yielded Aaron’s strongest collection of songs to date. The entire project feels seamless and intentional, including standout recordings like the hauntingly accessible "My Hope Is In You" (written by April Geesbreght), and the lose-yourself-in-the-moment singability of "Your Majesty".
Click here to add a video. Click to add lyrics if not listed.
Aaron Shust [This Is What We Believe]| Posted August 23, 2011
GMA’s Dove Award winning artist Aaron Shust returns with his fourth album, This Is What We Believe, his first album on Centricity Music. It’s vintage Aaron Shust, to be sure, but with Ed Cash at the helm, the familiar textures seem to fall together in new ways. “Ed really pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Aaron explains. “He could hear possibilities in the melodies and even in my voice that I hadn’t explored before. He had me singing more passionately, less precisely, higher, louder and even more quietly than I ever had before. And it worked. This Is What We Believe is an honest reflection of who I am as an artist, but Ed managed to draw that out and express it in ways that never would have occurred to me. It was a great collaboration.” The entire project feels seamless and intentional, including standout recordings like the hauntingly accessible "My Hope Is In You" (written by April Geesbreght), and the lose-yourself-in-the-moment sing-ability of "Your Majesty."
First single “My Hope Is In You” is similar to The Museum’s “My Help Comes From The Lord,” in that the song is based on the truth of the Psalms. I can’t get enough of the Biblical truth of the song and I love when artists take Gods’ Word from the Bible and turn it into a great and catchy song filled with truth. I sing this song to God with all of my heart and know that “My hope is in You, Lord, all the day long.” The timeless passages, Psalm 25 and Psalm 121, have application for us today as we live in uncertain times. Know that God is your refuge and your hope comes from the Lord. Amen. I find myself singing the song to myself throughout the day, very much like Aaron’s Dove Award winning song, “My Savior, My God.” The album was recorded while Aaron’s two-year-old son, Nicky, was living in a hospital where he was being fed through tubes because he couldn’t keep down any food or drink for more than two seconds, and the doctors were running out of options to treat him. He was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis, a rare and extremely painful condition, where he was unable to take in any nutrition. Doctors tried multiple food formulas but his body rejected all of them. What was considered to be a permanent disease one day suddenly seemed to have disappeared. The doctor could offer no explanation as to why. But the Shust’s were confident they’d just received a miracle.
Title track “This Is What We Believe” is one of many songs that are vertical worship declarations about who God is and who we are in Him because of His great love for us. Other examples are stand-out songs “Your Majesty,” “Sing Of My Redeemer” and “Wondrous Love.” I could imagine singing many of these songs with fellow believers and they are all proclamations of worship. One of Aaron’s strengths is the strong biblical Truth of his songs, and he prays and calls upon our King Jesus in every single song. There is absolutely no doubt who these songs are about.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
This is my favorite overall album by Dove Award winning artist Aaron Shust. For me, the stand-out songs that you’ll want to start singing at your church are “This Is What We Believe,” “My Hope Is In You,” “Your Majesty,” “Sing Of My Redeemer” and “Wondrous Love.” The album is filled with messages of hope, confession and worship to our Great God and Savior. Aaron has once again has written songs of praise and worship set to a nice soft rock musical style. Fans of Bebo Norman, Jeremy Camp and John Waller should enjoy this album. Aaron has a deep voice and sincere singing style that best compares to Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers.
Believe It!| Posted August 08, 2011
Aaron Shust‘s songs exhibit his preternatural ability to take Scripture and seamlessly entwine it with distinctive, upbeat melodies. His latest project, This Is What We Believe offers no exception or diminshing of this gift. Each of the 10 songs is either a hope-fueled declaration or a heart-felt anthem sung with familiarity, possessing elemental truths drawn directly from the Bible. Shust’s song-writing ability, and by extension his songs, experientially embrace and proclaim the “now and not yet” dichotomy of Biblical faith. Or to paraphrase Victor Hugo, hope is writ large on his brow and embodied in his songs.
At their core, the songs of This Is What We Believe are sublime, vibrant, personal expressions of worship that communicate the reality of Immanuel- GOD with us. Being asked to choose stand-out tracks would be like asking a parent to single-out their “favorite” child- every song has a purpose and place on this album. Much like the Scriptures that serve as their foundation, the lyrics of This Is What We Believe are imbued with vitality and efficacy (cf. Hebrews 4:12). The music is equally expressive, moving between the exuberance of up-tempo pop/rock & contemporary praise to the relaxed mid-tempo rhythm of CHR & modern worship.
Søren Kierkegaard has said, “(W)hen you read GOD’s Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, ‘It is talking to me and about me’.” The songs of This Is What We Believe are testimonies given musical voice by Shust’s personal experiences of this lifelong dialogue. It’s not an album to miss, nor dismiss. If you’ve never sampled Shust’s artistry before, I believe This Is What We Believe would be a great place to start.
This Is What We Believe| Posted August 01, 2013 You really should buy the fifth album This Is What We Believeby Aaron Shust. This contemporary pop worshipper will make you praise with his songs. And you really need to listen to his music. Let's adore Him!
Great Album| Posted July 14, 2012
This song is really amazing. I believe that all artists make the first song on an album, the first song for a reason. It's like they're making a statement of some sort. I love the statement Aaron made with this album! My favorite song on it is "My Hope Is In You" but all the songs on Shust's 5th album are great. :)
This Is What I Believe!| Posted September 04, 2011
I must say, I've been highly anticipating this album ever since Mr. Aaron Shust's 2009 release, Take Over. I knew this album was going to be good, but I wasn't sure if it would be as good as Take Over, since I loved it so much. But man, was I wrong! This is Aaron Shust's best work to date, by far. When I listen to each song, you can just hear the heart he sings them with. I know I've said this about Aaron Shust's other albums before, but, I honestly can't pick a favorite song. I tryed my best to decide, but each has such a wonderful message, and great beats, by the time I picked one, it was all of them. ;) Fantastic worship album. Best album I've heard all year, for sure. One of the best of 2011! Can't wait for the release of this album. Keep up the great work!
awesome!!| Posted August 30, 2011
this new cd from aaron shust is an awesome new addition to any cd collection. my favorite on it is sing of my redeemer, a new version of my favorite old hymn. this cd truly encompasses what we believe as Christians
I Believe It !!| Posted August 22, 2011
Aaron Shust has done it again. He is a master singer/songwriter. His new CD,"This Is What I Believe", is epic.I have all of Aaron's CD's and I did not think he could come close to doing as well with this new project. He far surpassed my expectations. I loved the title track as well as "My Hope is in You","Risen Today" and "We Are Free". I have seen Aaron in concert and he is very good.I believe this will be a big seller for him and firmly establish him as one of the best talents in the industry today.
Arkbeliever| Posted August 21, 2011
Outstanding CD - enjoyed all the tracks ; which speaks of near perfection. Track 9 - We Are Free - is one of the best new songs of 2011. Enjoyed the Scriptural references A winner in every respect !
Wonderful!!!| Posted August 20, 2011
Truly this Man is the Lamb of God.. What a beginning to album to re-affirm our faith. Smooth and slow this makes for a wonderful hear while going of to bed and remebering what God is before going off to sleep.
AARON'S LATEST MASTERPIECE| Posted August 17, 2011 THIS IS NOT ABOUT WORSHIPING A MAN. I DO NOT WORSHIP ANY ONE EXCEPT GOD THE FATHER AND HIS SON. THIS IS ABOUT A MAN WHO WORSHIPS GOD, AND TRULY LOVES GOD WITH ALL HIS HEART. HE IS A GIVER, YOU WATCH HIS VIDEO'S. HOW MANY MUSIC ARTIST DO YOU KNOW THAT HAVE VIDEOS SHOWING HOW TO PLAY THERE MUSIC. HE IS WARM HEARTED AND TRULY PRACTICES WHAT HE SINGS ABOUT. HE IS DOWN TO EARTH AND HUMBLE AND HE PRAISES GOD FOR EVERYTHING HE HAS. HE IS AN ENCOURAGER, HE ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO LOOK TO GOD. MY GRANDSON WHO IS 9 YEARS OLD ABSOLUTELY LOVES HIS MUSIC, TO THE POINT THAT GRANDMA HAD TO BUY ALL OF AARON SHUST CD'S AND GIVE HIM MY MP3 PLAYER SO HE COULD LISTEN TO THEM AT HOME. I HAD COPIED ALL THE LYRICS ONTO PAPER SO HE COULD TAKE IT HOME WITH HIM, AND SING ALONG. THAT WAS HIS REQUEST. IN SPEAKING TO MY GRANDSON DEVIN THE OTHER DAY HE WAS IN TEARS BECAUSE HE HAD LOST THE LYRICS. I ASKED HIM IF HE REMEMBERED WHICH SONGS THEY WERE, AND WITHOUT HESITATION, MY GRANDSON GAVE ME THE NAMES OF ALL 18 SONGS IN ORDER. I WAS SO SHOCKED THAT HE COULD REMEMBER THEM IN ORDER. THIS IS THE EFFECT THAT AARON HAS ON OUR YOUTH, AS WELL AS ALL AGES. AARON SHUST IS A MAN WHO DESERVES TO BE PRAISED FOR THE WORK HE IS DOING THROUGH GOD.
HIS NEW ALBUM "THIS IS WHAT WE BELIEVE" IS A MASTERPIECE, AND THE SONGS TOUCH EVERY PART OF MY HEART MORE THAN ANY OTHER SONG ARTIST I HAVE EVER LISTEN TO. I PURCHASED THE CD, WITH THE BOOK AND CAN'T WAIT TO GET IT.
New artist gets a thumbs up| Posted August 16, 2011
Aaron Shust is new to me and definetely one I will add to my playlist. I can't wait for This Is What We Believe to be released - on my birthday even. Just one more gift and blessing. :)