The Sonflowerz [By Faith] | Posted September-05-2011
British-American sister duo The Sonflowerz return with a new full length albumBy Faith, on September 13th, 2011. In 2007, The Sonflowerz garnered praise for their "GMA Vocal Duo of the Year" award at the GMA in the Rockies Competition. With the release of their album, All Over The World in 2008, they received outstanding response from their singles "My Adoration," "Legacy," "Edge of My Seat" and "More Than I Think I Am." The Sonflowerz are made up of sisters Elissa and Becca, who both got married in a double wedding ceremony the same day last year.
By Faith opens with an upbeat praise and worship song, "You Captured Me," which has a Brit-rock feel similar to Desperation Band, which is appropriate as this album was co-produced by six-time Dove Award winner Don Koch and Matthew Fallentine from Desperation Band. Elissa and Becca attend New Life Church in Colorado and this album is filled with great harmonies, vertical worship lyrics and every song is an offering of praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus. No song better captures the essence of this great album than the title track, "By Faith," which is one of my favorite songs of the year. The song is based on the biblical Truth of Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."Elissa and Becca are truly anointed singer-songwriters and I love singing the bridge along with these talented sisters at the top of my lungs, "Though my eyes cannot see, I know You are with me, You are with me" which flows back into the gorgeous and catchy chorus which ends with "In You I put my hope." Amen to that!
The album is balanced with a great blend of upbeat songs and ballads, and you’ll be singing along with the worshipful choruses after just a couple of listens. I could imagine many of these songs doing well on radio including the next songs "Made To Shine" and "Now That I Am Yours." Each song clearly and prayerfully reflects a worshipful response to God, with catchy music and lyrics and all of the songs include encouraging takeaway messages such as "God’s Love is burning like a fire inside of you, and no one can take that away" in "Made To Shine." Some of the songs have a folk-pop feel like "Now That I Am Yours." Some of the songs could be added to church worship services including the next set of songs, "Always Reign," "In You Alone" and "How Great You Are." My favorite part of the album is the middle section of songs, with "In You Alone" declaring "In You alone I rise above, wind and storm won’t stop Your love, it’s only by Your grace that I stand, and I am not moved, In You alone, my soul finds rest, the song of hope rings in my head, the darkness is defeated in You, and I will overcome, in You alone." I’m a big fan of transparent and vulnerable lyrics, and this album is chock-full of that type of prayerful song, and many of the songs include Brit-rock type guitar riffs as the sisters are most influenced musically by legendary and recently retired worship band Delirious, one of my all-time favorite artists. "How Great You Are" was co-written with and features Jared Anderson from Desperation Band.
By Faith closes with hit single "My Heart Is Alive," which reminds me musically of "All Over The World," and then "Dearly Loved" and "The Face Of Jesus." I greatly enjoy the story-song "The Face of Jesus," which starts with a description of an expectant mother and a young boy who lost his mother each finding the greatest love written on their faces in a ‘pay it forward’ style message declaring "Jesus, Jesus, a shelter from every raging storm, Jesus, Jesus, His grace will heal the pain of any thorn, we are His hands and mercy, to reach out in His name, your life can be the way to finally see the face of Jesus." Great song and great message.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
This year has been marked by a strong batch of female vocalists who have all written and recorded some top-notch songs and albums, including Laura Story, Dara Maclean, Tricia Brock and Francesca Battistelli. Add By Faithby The Sonflowerz to that impressive list of great new albums this year. If you like songs that are filled with biblical Truth and enjoy bands like Point of Grace and BarlowGirl with female harmonies, then look no further than The Sonflowerz.
Jessa Anderson [Not Myself Anymore] | Posted September-04-2011
Not Myself Anymore by JessaAnderson is truly the CCM album and artist I’ve been waiting for as a major fan of mainstream pop song singer-songwriters like Kate Voegele, Taylor Swift and Colbie Caillat. Over the years, many secular and even now some Christian singers have decided to go the dance pop song route of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, which tends to be over-produced, vocally tuned, and the lyrics are rarely vulnerable or relatable. Last year I was thrilled to savor the debut album by GMA Dove Award nominee Audrey Assad, and if you like her style and album then you need to get this album immediately.
This album starts with two very catchy pop-style surefire hit songs, “Not What I Thought” and “Fireflies.” Although at first these seem to be fun pop songs, wait until you really savor the lyrics and Jessa’s emotional vocals, and then the weight of the songs will hit you, which are my favorite types of albums. In “Not What I Thought,” Jessa weaves her story into a hooky song and confesses, “I have learned to use this love as a weapon, I am caught up by the common as usual, I have nearly followed ‘til my Spirit was numb, I continue the ascent of never ending, collecting all but things that matter the most.” Those are some of the strongest and most honest lyrics I’ve heard this year, all in a song that reminds me musically of hit songs “99 Times” by Kate Voegele and “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift however rather than singing about being jilted by a boyfriend, Jessa is confessing directly to God. “Fireflies” is a hit song in any format, and has great biblical truth and has profound lyrics in the second verse professing God’s brilliance, “Everything around me, Reflects Your light, You shine brighter than fireflies, I'm surrounded by Your brilliant glow, And I marvel in wonder at the sight I behold, I am running with an empty jar, Want to capture it all, I'm chasing after Your heart.” Those two songs alone are worth the price of the album, but don’t miss the remaining songs which take an emotional turn as they are all confessional and moving songs that make me hang on every word that Jessa sings, similar to Fireflies and Songs by Sara Groves.
Rather than address the themes of each song, if you like “gourmet” music with heart-wrenching lyrics like JJ Heller and Sara Groves, this album is for you. Some of the stand-out moments of the album include “Everybody Has Those Days,” a deceptively upbeat song that once again hits me where I am emotionally when Jessa confesses, “No one ever accused me of being the best, And no one really understands what's going on in my head, I'm feeling alone and I’m feeling like sort of a mess, Can't make sense of anything, And so I’m telling myself over and over again, Everybody has those days.” The song that stops me in my tracks is the title track, “Not Myself Anymore.” The song has a bluesy Brit-pop piano style emotional vocal like Adele’s hit song “Someone Like You,” and it’s also a break-up song. However redemption is found in last line,“So why can't we just be friends, When that's all we were before?” What’s so relatable is how Jessa’s “relationship” songs are relevant for everyone. If you know Jesus, then you especially know the ultimate answer to the quest for love can only be found in Him which is Jessa’s conclusion in every song. Another song that captivates me is “I Won’t Break.” Musically, it actually has a Brit Rock guitar riff, and it moves me like “Fix You” by Coldplay. There are also worshipful moments throughout the album, “Worship The Lamb,” “Offering” and stunning closing song “Return.”
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Everything that works for me about The House You’re Building by Audrey Assad is in full effect for me on this album, one of the best of the year. Jessa has a vocal sincerity and creativity that rivals Bethany Dillon, Audrey Assad and Sara Groves, who are my top female vocalists of all-time. If you like those artists, you probably like female singers that make you think while you enjoy their sweet vocal style and catchy, worshipful songs. Not Myself Anymore by JessaAnderson is one of the most captivating albums I’ve ever heard and is one of my top albums of the year.
Jason Gray [A Way To See In The Dark] | Posted September-02-2011 I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release A Way To See In The Dark by Jason Gray, a Christian singer-songwriter in the style of Derek Webb, Bebo Norman, Andrew Peterson and Shaun Groves.Jason’s fixation on redemption is based on his history as a kid with a chronic stutter who eventually discovered his calling as a singer meant that his weaknesses are nothing to hide.In fact, because of our weaknesses God’s grace and strength are perfectly revealed. Jason says“I'm actually grateful now that my speech handicap never afforded me the option of masking my weakness behind an illusion of competency. Whenever I opened my mouth, there it was for all to see... I couldn't fool others or myself. I think the best thing that can happen to us is to be 'found out' for all that we are, our religious and human pretenses stripped away to reveal our sin, pettiness, and weakness. Then we can devote our energies to better endeavors than the constant masquerade of sufficiency.”Those comments sum up the theme of Jason’s newest release A Way To See In The Dark which is the top album by Jason Gray and one of the best albums of the year.
Look no further than first single and opening track “Remind Me Who I Am” for Jason’s heart and transparent song-writing style. I have played the song non-stop since I first heard it. It is hooky and filled with biblical Truth just like Jason’s hit song “More Like Falling In Love.” The lyrics, “If I’m Your beloved, can You help me believe it?” keep the theme from “I Am New” going, which is that if we would only run to Christ, He would remind us who we really are. For sure, the first four tracks are all catchy, upbeat and should all find their way onto Christian radio. The next songs, “The End of Me” and “No Thief Like Fear” are vintage Jason Gray songs. Jason is at the top of his songwriting game with these songs, with incredible lyrics in both songs, “the end of me is not the enemy, it’s where mercy gets the better part of me,” and “I know insecurity is the worst of my own enemies.” Jason consistently finds a way to express my own spiritual feelings and prayerful yearnings of my heart. As if those songs weren’t impressive enough, “Good To Be Alive” which was co-written with Brandon Heath and Jason Ingram will remind you of Brandon’s recent hit song “Your Love” both musically and lyrically. Jason yet again yields his signature “gourmet” stamp in the bridge where he croons “I won’t take it for granted, I won’t waste another second, All I want is to give You, A life well lived, to say “thank you.” Jason is my songwriter of the year.
The next half of the album is musically more similar to his past folk-style songs, and includes some of my favorite tracks on the album, especially “Without Running Away,” which is my favorite overall song on the album. The song is a heartfelt ballad and the chorus sticks with me as a daily prayer, “and bring my heart, to every day, and run the risk of fearlessly loving, without running away.” Piano based “Nothing Is Wasted” is another gem, with the opening lyrics “the hurt that broke your heart, and left you trembling in the dark” starts part one of the title track and flows seamlessly into “A Way To See In The Dark,” which is the thesis statement of the album and continues the message from “Nothing Is Wasted in the hands of the Redeemer” with the answer to the prayerful seeking in the chorus, “I’ll reach for Your hand in the night…’cause I’m giving up, giving in, once again a childlike faith is my only way to see in the dark.” Amen.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The basic message behind Jason’s songs is that “the added benefit is that people are able to see how God's grace works in a real person's life. When we come clean about our brokenness, Christ becomes the star of our testimony and not us.”If you like folk-style pop music, then Jason Gray is for you.I recommend picking up this great album along with Everything Sad Is Coming Untrue and All The Lovely Losers to get the full experience of Jason’s music.I’ve been very blessed to enjoy Jason’s songs and get to know his heart for God. I get welled up praying along with several of the songs. I love albums that have a consistent message and theme and that move me emotionally, such as Ocean by Bebo Norman, See You by Josh Wilson and Leaving Eden by Brandon Heath. In fact, if you like those albums, then you must get A Way To See In The Dark by Jason Gray.
Ginny Owens [Get In, I'm Driving] | Posted August-30-2011 Ginny Owens is a Contemporary Christian music singer/songwriter. She was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and has been blind since the age of two. When she graduated from Belmont University with a degree in Music Education, she found that most people were skeptical about hiring a blind music teacher. Instead she concentrated on singing and songwriting and began making albums, and has been producing them since 1999. Owens has also received three Dove awards, including New Artist of the Year (2000). In January 2005, Ginny Owens started a non-profit organization called the Fingerprint Initiative. The organization has worked in conjunction with other groups, such as Compassion International, The International Justice Mission, and Habitat for Humanity. Ginny Owens has been featured on CNN to talk about the organization and their efforts to help rebuild New Orleans, following Hurricane Katrina.
Get In, I’m Driving kicks off with the upbeat and clever title track, with a great play on words considering Ginny’s blindness. The fact is that we’re all spiritually blind without the guidance of The Holy Spirit and the song talks about our need to rely on God. Ginny has consistently been one of my all-time favorite female singer-songwriters, back to her debut album Without Condition with stand-out songs, “If You Want Me To,” “Free,” and “I Wanna Be Moved.” This album really reminds me of that album in that these songs all feature relatable themes, hooky melodies and Ginny’s gorgeous and penetrating vocals. “Mystery of Grace” has Ginny declaring her appreciation for God’s mercy in her life, and first single “Before You Fly” comes from Ginny’s experience in helping her home town recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. “Before You Fly” is vintage Ginny Owens, as she is one of my favorite lyricists and she challenges listeners in the great bridge, “the world is wide, the water’s deep, it’s up to you, ‘cause talk is cheap.” “Rain” is based on a personal relationship break-up experience and was inspired during her mother’s battle with cancer with the imploring bridge, “so let the clouds pour down their offering, driving out the dark that’s drowning me.”
There are two songs that literally stop me in my tracks, and they are both captivating ballads, one of Ginny’s strengths. The first is “Joined At The Heart.” Ginny sings about her friends Blake and Michelle’s experience of adopting a baby girl, and it is one of the most touching songs I’ve ever heard. I get goose bumps as Ginny passionately sings the chorus, “we are humbled to be part of a greater story, written by the Author of miracles and stars, and as this journey unfolds, there is one thing that we know—God has made it so we are forever joined at the heart.” The song is a wonderful tribute to family and our Creator, and I could imagine playing it at weddings and baby dedications. “Higher Ground” was originally written and recorded by Stevie Wonder and covered over a decade ago by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and both of those versions are up-tempo R&B/Rock songs. Ginny spent time listening to the song while spending time with her mother during her cancer treatments and studied the lyrics to the song. It became one of Ginny’s favorite songs, as she realized that the song paints a picture of a broken world where each of us has a chance to be redeemed again and again—if only we ask. Give it a listen and I guarantee you’ll love it. I hang on every single word and the dark piano and string arrangement are breath-taking. Well done Ginny.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Get In, I’m Driving is Ginny’s first new studio project in five years, and ranks as my favorite female Christian artist “comeback” album of the year. 2011 has also featured new projects by Rebecca St. James and Rachael Lampa after similar lengthy timeframes between new albums. The songs I can’t stop playing are “Before You Fly,” “Rain,” “Joined At The Heart” and Ginny’s hauntingly beautiful cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground.” Welcome back Ginny, I’ve been yearning for more “gourmet” songs like these since 2005’s Live From New Orleans. If you like that album and Without Condition, then don’t hesitate to pick up this great return from one of CCM’s top female artists. In my opinion, Get In, I’m Driving is the best album of Ginny’s incredible career.
Audrey Assad [Live from SoHo] | Posted August-29-2011 Audrey Assad-Live from SoHo is a stellar eight song live performance recording at the Apple Store in SoHo, New York. Since Audrey’s debut album The House You’re Building released, I can’t get enough of Audrey’s singing voice and the incredible and introspective messages of her great songs. The collection opens with a brand new song, “Sparrow,” which features Audrey’s flawless vocals and her signature introspective and prayerful message as she yearns “why should I be lonely…when Jesus is my portion, and a constant Friend I know, I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, His eye is on the sparrow, His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He’s watching me, I sing because He loves me, I sing because I’m free, He’s watching you, He’s watching me.” I love listening to Audrey’s comments throughout the album as she is so genuine and like-able. “For Love of You” was inspired by the Gerard Manley Hopkins poem “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” and is one of my favorite songs on both her studio album and this live recording. There’s no struggling or wrestling, it’s simply a celebration of the idea that there are traces of God everywhere.
“Breaking Through,” “Garden” and “Come Clean” really grab me with the transparent, prayerful and relevant messages. The songs are great examples of how Audrey easily connects with listeners as she gorgeously sings her songs of hope based on her relationship with Christ. “What It Ought To Be” is a fun relationship song that she wrote to her husband. “Carry Me” has prayerful and very emotional lyrics, “As I carry this cross, You carry me” and is a stand-out moment on the recording as she sings the song as a stunning closing medley along with her hit song, “Restless,” which comes from the confession of Augustine, “My heart is restless until it rests in You.” Audrey has a phenomenal singing voice and reminds me of the top female vocalists in the business, Brooke (Fraser) Ligertwood, Christy Nockels and Adie, which is amazing company in my opinion.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Audrey Assad is my favorite new female vocalist, and this live recording really captures the beauty and sincerity of her incredible vocals and stirring songs. Her ability to captivate me as a singer is unmatched in any genre and I'm thrilled that she's been selected for this intimate and personal live recording which includes some of her best songs, "For Love Of You," "Breaking Through,""What It Ought To Be," "Come Clean," "Carry Me," "Restless" and new recordings of "Garden" (Matt Maher), "Hungry Heart" (Bruce Springsteen) and her brand new song "Sparrow." Don't miss any of these passionate and emotional songs. This mesmerizing recording of Audrey Assad-Live from SoHo is my top live album of the year!
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.
Shaun Groves [Third World Symphony] | Posted August-30-2011
Shaun Groves has returned with his fourth studio release, Third World Symphony, on August 30 at digital retailers nationwide. The singer/songwriter’s newest music was generated from his global travel and work with Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults in 26 countries. The journey that produced Third World Symphony started with a single trip to El Salvador, where Groves traveled to visit Yanci, one of four children his family sponsors. Compelled to act, Groves and his family simplified their lifestyle in order to give more and he hit the road, speaking about justice and mercy and releasing children from poverty. A poignant experience during a trip with ministers in Ethiopia led to the decision to create new music. “My music is not as weighty as the lives these people had lived,” confesses Groves.“I realized how much the third world was teaching me. That’s where the idea for this record started.”
GRAMMY® Award Winning producer Mitch Dane teamed up with Groves for his newest project, which is his first studio album in six years. “Musically and lyrically it’s different than the things I’ve done in the past,” explains Groves. “Fewer ‘Me’ and ‘I’ lyrics, a lot of ‘We’ and ‘Us’ lyrics.” It is a testament to Groves the songwriter that he can make that concept as accessible as a moving four-minute song. Great examples are found in the stand-out songs “All Is Grace,” “Come By Here,”“Kingdom Coming,” “I’ve Got You” and “Down Here.” In typical Shaun Groves fashion, he opens with a track that completely expresses the Truth of the Gospel with “All Is Grace.” The song really sets the tone for the album with the call to action—“You have loved us all, so we love all.” “Come By Here” takes it up a notch and honestly addresses the reality of the struggle in the third world with the compelling lyrics—“The widows need life to raise the dead and all the beggars plead for their daily bread.” You can’t help but want to reach out and be the Kingdom of God on earth as beautifully expressed in “Kingdom Coming,” with these prayerful lyrics “Let it come in us, Let it come through us.Oh, God what do we pray down here, Your kingdom coming.” Amen. I find myself raising my hands in worship after those opening tracks, and then I’m compelled to reach out horizontally to help show others the love of Jesus.
I can’t get enough of Shaun’s emotional ballad “I’ve Got You” where he lays out his need for Jesus similar to “Here I Am” and “Need You More,” two of my favorite prayer-songs by Shaun. “Enough” speaks to the tension of living in plenty after witnessing poverty with these great lyrics—“Please don’t give me wealth or poverty, but God I only ask for enough.” “No Better” is a humble song of confession set to a surprising banjo melody. “Down Here” is the stand-out “gourmet” song on the album andidentifies the need for social justice in the here and now with Shaun emotionally singing “What in this life ain’t passing? Big deals and beggars end in ashes, all go from cradle to casket, down here.” The song shifts to the Gospel of salvation—“Up there, The One who has no start and no goodbye, The One who mourns our fall and hears our cry.” The song ends with the merge of our earthly Kingdom of God on earth and our eternity with God in Heaven—“to live with us and die for us, down here” along with a chorus of “Emmanuel, God with us.” I haven’t heard a song that convicting and emotionally stirring since “Blessings” by Laura Story. It is my new all-time favorite song by Shaun Groves. The album ends with a powerful arrangement of the hymn “Just As I Am,” which declares that we are all wounded and in need of the Lamb of God.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I love albums that have a consistent message and theme and that move me emotionally, such as Ocean by Bebo Norman, See You by Josh Wilson and Leaving Eden by Brandon Heath. In fact, if you like those albums, then you must get Third World Symphony by Shaun Groves. This album grabs me with every song, is the best overall album by Shaun Groves and is one of the top albums of the year. There are no filler tracks, and this is truly a five star effort. The stand-out tracks are “All Is Grace,” “Come By Here,”“Kingdom Coming,” “I’ve Got You” and “Down Here.” Shaun had me at “Welcome Home,” and this album is an amazing return from one of my first loves in Christian music. Shaun has always had a knack for hitting me where I am spiritually and expressing the prayerful yearnings of my heart. This album is no exception as I get welled up praying along with several of the songs and most of all, I am stirred with compassion to love people as Jesus loves us. That’s the heart behind this album, and thank you Shaun for blessing us with your music and for singing the Truth of the Gospel for the Kingdom of God.
Christina Falub [Swept Away] | Posted August-20-2011 Born and raised in Southern California in a Christian home, Christina Falub discovered her talent as a singer at a very young age. Growing up, family and friends witnessed a once little girl transform into a young woman with an extremely big voice. At 18 years of age, Christina Falub delivers a stunning debut that reflects her honest and personal journey of faith. The pure joy of singing about her faith surpasses any personal fame or accolade. “I want people to walk away encouraged and in love with Jesus more and more. He is the only reason why I sing,” explains Christina. Her debut is a beautiful collection of raw, intimate, and thought-provoking songs intended to encourage, refresh, and bring the listener’s full attention back to her very own first love: Jesus. “A huge inspiration to my music is Josh White from the band Telecast,” says Christina. “His words are so profound and cut deep to the core. His songs are so unique and doctrinally sound. It's not so much about the structure of the song but more about the lyrics and how each word glorifies Jesus,” explains Christina.
Released August 9th, 2011, Christina’s full-length debut album Swept Awayis truly an impressive debut album and can best be described as a worship experience. “Prelude” is an instrumental track which sets the ethereal tone of the album, very much like Enya and Michelle Tumes. “A Glimpse” is one of the original songs written by Christina, and reflects Biblical yearning to know Jesus with these compelling opening lyrics, “Give me Your heart, I wanna love like You, Love chose the nails, Give me Your eyes, I wanna see the truth, Truth set captives free.” As an eighteen year old independent artist, Christina has impressed me with her mature faith. Being a Christian father of three young daughters, these songs all reflect the yearning for Jesus I pray for my daughters’ to feel in their hearts as well. “Beauty in the Beast” and first single “Love Is the Reversal” are also original songs, and Christina also made a cool music video for “Love Is the Reversal.” With the types of influences in mainstream music teaching our young girls to seek approval from the world and from young men, Christina is a wonderful role model for young Christian girls as she passionately professes in the song, “I choose to trust in You, in all I say and do, I am forever Yours.” Christina clearly loves our Lord and Savior Jesus with all of her heart.
The album includes a few new recordings of some of Christina’s favorite worship songs, starting with her gorgeous cover of Josh White’s worship song, “To Burn In You.” The song is from Josh’s solo album Achor and Christina is most influenced by his soul searching honest songwriting. What’s great is that Christina puts her own musical stamp on the song with an electronic musical arrangement found throughout the album as she belts out the Truth of the song with these prayerful words, “So be the light, the light that shines through, Reflect off me, the love that comes from You.”“Now I Am Free” is another original song, and keeps with the theme of praising Jesus for His sacrifice and it ends with the confessional lyrics, “I’m covered by Your blood, Now I am free.” The song flows seamlessly into “Covered (Selah)” which has Christina passionately praising Jesus, “I’m covered by Your blood.” The song that caught my attention and drew me to this album is Christina’s cover of one of my top worship songs of the year, Hillsong UNITED’s “Like An Avalanche.” I've been singing "The Stand," "From The Inside Out," "Mighty To Save," "Soon" and many other Hillsong classics at my church for many years. From Aftermath the standout song to me is “Like An Avalanche,” which has beautiful female vocals and the song engages me similar to "Lead Me To The Cross." Don’t miss out on Christina’s incredible recording of the song, she passionately captures the prayerful tone and grateful proclamation, “And I find myself here on my knees again, Caught up in grace like an avalanche, Nothing compares to this love, love, love, Burning in my heart.” As if that weren’t impressive enough, Christina then completely captivated me with her cover of Telecast’s “Anchor Of My Soul,” which she lists as her all-time favorite song. Christina closes with another original prayer-song, “Swept Away.” She confesses “I have been swept away by You.” Amen.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The ethereal musical style and Christina’s powerful and gorgeous vocals keep me hanging on every word and all ten songs completely focus me as a listener on joining her in praise, worship and adoration of our King, Jesus. Don’t miss the stand-out songs, “A Glimpse,” “Love Is the Reversal,”“To Burn In You,” “Like An Avalanche” and “Anchor Of My Soul.” Remember her name and get ready to experience the Love of Jesus in these captivating songs. You’ll be hearing more from this up and coming worship artist. Christina recognizes the incredible opportunity in front of her and is determined to make the most of it. She is living the dream the Lord set before her. “I want to make Jesus known and reach out to the lost by offering them hope in Jesus Christ through my music.”
MIKESCHAIR [A Beautiful Life] | Posted August-22-2011 Following in the footsteps of the group's massive hit, "Let The Waters Rise" and 4 Dove Award nominations for their debut album, MIKESCHAIR returns with their Curb sophomore release, A Beautiful Life. The new album features the hit, "Someone Worth Dying For" along with melodic rock tracks that the group is quickly becoming known for. Additional standout tracks include "A Beautiful Life" and "All For You."The origin of MIKESCHAIR was set in a freshman guy's dorm room one night at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. The band's name, MIKESCHAIR, begs for an explanation. "The 'chair' was the central gathering point where we got our start," says Sam. "All of us lived on the same floor of our dorm at Belmont, except for Mike. But, since he was always hanging out with us on our floor, we decided to get him piece of furniture to make him feel a little more at home. The chair was his only piece of property on our floor. He wrote his name on it in big capital letters, and it kind of became his seat of inspiration for writing songs and being creative. The name is a reminder of our humble beginnings and how far God has brought us."
The opening title track, "A Beautiful Life" sets the tone for the album musically and with the encouraging message that as Christians Jesus calls us to a beautiful life in Him with these uplifting words, “A beautiful life is unfolding before my eyes, just like the sunrise, to fill the empty skies, so shine your beautiful life.” A popular musical style the past few years has been OneRepublic’s style of electronic pop/rock. Recent hit songs “Galaxies” by Owl City, “Come Home” by Luminate, “Your Love” by Brandon Heath, “Light Up The Sky” by The Afters and “I Will Follow” by Chris Tomlin all feature that musical style. This album is in the same class with all of those successful releases, yet for me has the most catchy melodies and prayerful lyrics of that esteemed class of songs as best evidenced by the surefire hit song “Love Won’t Quit On Us.” I can’t get enough of the hooky melody and the super-encouraging message of the song with the great lyrics, “Don’t quit on love, because you’re broken, don’t quit on hope, you’re not hopeless, you know the sun will rise again, this is not the end, I know this complicated world gets you down, don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t quit on Love, because Love won’t quit on us, He won’t quit on us.” Amen.That type of encouragement is found throughout this extremely catchy and uplifting album.
The highlight of the album for me is the current hit song, "Someone Worth Dying For." We can all relate to one of the situations beautifully described in the song, wife, man, son and girl, all “praying God can You hear me? Oh God are You listening? Am I really something beautiful? Jesus help me believe that I’m someone worth dying for.” Not only are those lyrics penetrating and sincere, but Mike’s passionate vocals bring it home with the incredible bridge, “You’re worth it, you can’t earn it, yeah the Cross has proven, That you’re sacred and blameless, your life has purpose.” I can’t help but get welled up when I sing along with this song at the top of my lungs. That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He came to die for us and our sins, and we are all “someone worth dying for.” Amen. “You Loved Me First” is yet another catchy song filled with biblical Truth.Another highlight is the vertical praise and worship song “All For You.” I would love to sing this song with fellow believers and the song has become one of my personal worship anthems. It is also the prayer of my heart that I do everything in my life for the Glory of God. I really connect to the sincere prayer—“it’s All for You, All for You, every heart will proclaim, every tongue will shout Your praise, all for You.” Closing track “Gonna See Your Kingdom”is a great final song which knits together the cohesive themes of the album. As believers, we are called to fight for the broken, hold onto love, and reach for the lonely. This whole album is very encouraging and always stays true to themes of hope, faithfulness and praise to our Great God.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I have greatly enjoyed MIKESCHAIR’s debut album for the past two years which yielded four consecutive hits, “Can’t Take Away,” “Let The Waters Rise,” “Keep Changing The World” and “Straight To Your Heart.” If you enjoyed the debut album, then don’t hesitate to pick up A Beautiful Life immediately, which takes it up a notch in my opinion. Mike Grayson’s vocals are stronger than ever and the encouraging and prayerful themes of this album are catchy, emotional and inspirational.Don’t miss out on the standout tracks "A Beautiful Life,"“Love Won’t Quit On Us,” "Someone Worth Dying For," “You Loved Me First”and "All For You.” I fully expect several GMA Dove Award nominations for group, pop/contemporary album/song and one of my selections for song of the year, "Someone Worth Dying For."
Downhere [On The Altar Of Love] | Posted August-27-2011
One of Christian music’s premier bands, Downhere, returns with their eagerly anticipated new fifth studio album, On The Altar Of Love on Centricity Music.As students of history, Downhere band members Jeremy, Jason, Marc and Glenn have come to recognize and appreciate the fact that their faith is not simply their own--but that it's part of a much larger communion of believers that stretches across cultures and thousands of years. The new album is a pop-driven project that offers a positive outlook for our future, while maintaining the integrity and artistry of Downhere, one of my all-time favorite bands. All songs on the album were written by Jason Germain and Marc Martel. “Let Me Rediscover You,” the first single from the album, was written by Marc Martel two weeks before Downhere entered the recording studio for On The Altar Of Love.
On The Altar Of Love is being described as one of the most “pop-friendly” albums that Downhere has recorded to date, with heartfelt lyrics that are a return to the core of Christianity. To me, that description is apt in describing that if you’ve enjoyed the band’s previous hit songs “The More,” “Here I Am,” “My Last Amen,” “Hope Is Rising” and “How Many Kings,” then you need to pick up this masterpiece immediately as every single song is catchy, engaging and loaded with Downhere’s signature gorgeous harmonies. If you aren’t familiar with this incredible band, this is a great primer. The album kicks-off with “Only The Beginning” which focuses on how our Christian walk of new life and continual mysteries always feels like a new beginning, blending Jason and Marc’s vocals perfectly and flows seamlessly into “Rest,” with a beautiful chorus, “Come to Me, all you tired and heavy laden, come to Me and I will give you rest” sung in the person of Jesus, similar to “Bleed For This Love” from Ending Is Beginning.“Let Me Rediscover You” is a surefire hit song and has become my personal worship anthem, similar in theme to “Here I Am” and “A Better Way”-both written by Jason, but this is Marc’s opus and is so sincere and engaging, you can’t help but be moved to cry out to God—“let me rediscover You, and by Your grace I’ll follow through, breathe in me a life anew, reveal to me the God I thought I knew, Jesus let me rediscover You.” This band just has a knack for hitting me where I am spiritually.
“For Life” has Jason at his best, belting out “Thank You for the open sky…Thank You for my dreams, dreams of poetry both tragic and beautiful, thank You for life,” wrapped around a hooky piano driven melody and is my new favorite Jason vocal as he takes me places musically and in prayer that reminds of “Unbelievable.” “Living The Dream” somewhat channels “My Last Amen” musically while the hard rocking “Seek” describes how God searches for us “like a kid with a crush” in order to make us whole. “Holy” is a congregational-friendly vertical worship anthem sung by Jason like “Here I Am,” and is loaded with biblical Truth. I can’t get enough of “For The Heartbreak,” which has Marc passionately singing “Thank You for the heartbreak, Thank You for the pain, Thank You for the sadness on the gloomy days of rain, Thank You that the hard days have a reason and rhyme, Thank You that the healing makes the beauty shine.” You just don’t hear that type of sincere prayer in most songs, and is what really puts this band in the same “gourmet” category as Jars of Clay for me. The title track “The Altar Of Love” says to lay down your possessions and obsessions with the profound lyrics—“Love will ask of you more than treasure/When you’re willing to trust/Blessing far outweighs the loss/When you lay it all at the altar of love.” The title track is the second to last song and includes an incredible blend musically of banjo, strings, guitar and has a kickin’ violin solo at the end of the song which will have you moving along in worship and is yet another incredible song. This 5 star masterpiece closes with a contemplative prayer, “Reveal The Kingdom,” which has Jason crying out to God “His life compels us to serve in love…may we live to reveal the unseen Kingdom, the glory of the new Son, wherever more His love imparts the Kingdom in our hearts, reveal the Kingdom..” The compelling ballad ends with a chant in Latin. Gorgeous.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Somehow Downhere just keeps finding ways to create their newest best album with each new release. This album for me harnesses the best of what I’ve come to love about this band, sing-able melodies, songs filled with biblical truth and some of the best vocal combinations in any genre. Marc Martel has accurately been compared to Freddie Mercury from Queen and stand-out tracks “Rest,” “Let Me Rediscover You,” ‘Living The Dream,” “For The Heartbreak,” and stellar title track “The Altar Of Love” bring out the best in Marc. Co-vocalist Jason Germain just continues to get better with “Only The Beginning,” “Turn This Around,” “Glory By The Way Of Shame,” “Holy,” “For Life” and stunning closing track “Reveal The Kingdom” all displaying Jason’s emotional songwriting and singing style. This is easily the most radio-friendly Downhere album and yet includes some of their most profound lyrics and every single song will have you singing along in praise and worship to our Savior. Don’t miss out on this gem, one of the absolute best albums of the year. All twelve songs are interesting, challenging and this is one of those profound listening experiences that you’ll want to experience again as soon as you’re finished.
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