"I've heard it said that music is the language of the soul," says internationally-renowned recording artist Jason Castro. "I think it's something God created for our souls to be able to rejoice in."

 

Now, as this mellow Texan with the blue eyes, bright smile, and distinctive dreadlocks prepares to release his first full-length Word Records album, Only A Mountain, he finds himself with the chance to rejoice alongside a broad new audience of fellow believers. The prospect, he says, is thrilling: "This album to me is really kind of a breakthrough," Castro confesses. "It feels like this veil has been lifted."

 

Only a Mountain is produced by Matt Bronleewe, Ben Glover, and David Garcia. Its eleven original tracks--all written or co-written by Castro--are primed to appeal to fans both old and new, whether they discovered his unique voice via his captivating run on American Idol, or have found their lives touched by one of his melodic, heartfelt performances in the years since. 

 

Much of that story is now familiar to millions of people worldwide: Raised in the church by a musical family of Colombian descent, Castro started drumming at 11, playing music in the youth ministry, joining his father in leading worship. But despite his musical background, the notion that young Jason might have a voice--or something to say with it musically--didn't really begin to take shape until he hit college and picked up the guitar. 

 

"I don't know if I ever had an indication that I was meant to be a musician, or good enough to do it professionally," Castro laughs of taking the Idol plunge. "All I really had was a heart for it." That heart eventually led him to a fourth-place finish on the show, where he won consistent critical acclaim for his stripped-down takes on songs like "Over the Rainbow" and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." His laid-back acoustic style was unlike anything that show's belting-diva-accustomed audience had ever seen.

 

Jason joined the I Am Second campaign in Dallas, speaking publicly about his faith for the first time since gaining national attention, and the Christian community began to take an interest in his message. Later that year, Atlantic and Word teamed up to re-release his debut as Who I Am, this time featuring five new faith-based songs. 

 

For Castro, something suddenly clicked. "As I started venturing down that road, I found a lot of fulfillment," he says of combining his Christian faith and music career. 

 

Be undeniable. Carry the message of God forward. Have faith. These are the goals Jason Castro has set for Only A Mountain, and the goals that he has set for his career as a performer--a path that, in retrospect, seems very much laid out by a greater hand. I had the chance to interview Jason about the title track from the new project.

 

 

"Only A Mountain" was inspired by some words that Jesus said when He was talking about faith and people having faith and that anybody with faith could tell this mountain to go throw itself in the sea and it would do it. And if you ask without doubting then it will be done for you. I think that was kind of a new perspective that Jesus was bringing to us. I thought it was a fresh concept. It was inspired by the verse of Jesus telling the Disciples, "If anyone has faith the size of a mustard seed, he can tell this mountain to move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible." Living that out has just been huge for me this past year, knowing that there's no problem too big for God to tackle. You just gotta have faith.

 

Matthew 17:20: He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

 

Those five words--"You just gotta have faith"--currently serve as a kind of creative centerpiece. I love "Only a Mountain" as the first single, because I think it sums up a lot of things that I've realized in the past few years. There's definitely been a lot of challenges and adversity, and those things have really shaped the album. I've found a new life through all of it. 

 

It's been a long and exciting road getting to this point where I am now--a place where I feel like I have really discovered myself, both musically and personally, and this album really captures that journey. It's been a journey full of struggles, but never absent of hope. I think that's what comes out in these songs. 

 

What I like about songs is they take you through a journey and this album is very much my journey, and what I have found in my journey is just a lot of hope. I think that's what comes out in these songs, regardless of where you come from or where you are in life or what you're going through. There's hope here for everyone. The songs on Only A Mountain are fueled by the realization that life is beautiful. It's a lifestyle philosophy that I carry: What good can we do today? How can we be a light in the challenging world in which we currently live? I feel like I'm coming into my own. This is just my story to tell.

 

 

This song is all about having a strong faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Sometimes we have a tendency to think we can try to know everything. God tells us in the Bible that with faith, we can do anything in Christ.

 

One of the lessons I've seen about life from is that we shouldn't wait to fix ourselves before we step out in faith. We need to fully trust God. The faith statement found in the lyrics: "And I know it looks big / And I know you feel small / But just a little bit of faith can change it all" has been resonating with me as I realize that Jesus commands us to trust God completely no matter our circumstances or personal distractions or concerns. 

 

The end of the song includes some great challenges: "Ask like you believe it / Trust like you can see it / Take your fear and say There's nothing in your way, Even when it looks big / Even when you feel small / Just a little bit of faith can change it all." 

 

We can't know everything and we are not in control, but trusting God gives us assurance that we don't have to be afraid. God will be there to pick us up when we fall. A challenge for me when I listen to this song is pick an area of my life that I've been trying to control and instead put all of my hope and trust in God. "You just gotta have faith." Amen.

 

(You can watch the music video here.)