Robbie Seay Band [Miracle] | Posted March-22-2010
Robbie Seay Band releases its third label project, Miracle, on March 23. A reflection of Seay’s work and relationships within Ecclesia Church in Houston, the record captures thoughts, feelings, and realities of his local community. Miracle is a collection of songs inspired by the real life stories of those around him. It is a call and response to life, to what God is doing in their midst, as it happens. Seay wrote the album’s title track, for example, in reaction to a friend who was diagnosed with cancer, while “Lament (We Cannot Wait)” was penned to express the grief of his congregation over a church member’s death.
Opening track “Love Invades” grabbed me right away, similar to Robbie’s opening track “Rise” from Give Yourself Away. “Awaken My Soul” is a great prodigal song and reminder that God pursues each and every one of us. “Kingdom And A King” talks about the church moving together to reach those in need. The song is quickly becoming my favorite track on the album as in this era of political uncertainty the cry of my heart is to be a citizen of Heaven and to serve my King. This song so accurately reflects my feelings of loyalty to my King Jesus. “Crazy Love” might be the most catchy track on the album and has a sincere cry to God to forgive our mistakes and learn to rely on His grace and love.
The title track and first single of the project, “Miracle” came in the wake of devastating news. Robbie says “I remember getting a phone call from one of my closest friends. ‘Kristy has cancer. It doesn't look good, but we're believing for a Miracle.’ I wrote the lyrics the next day. I prayed and believed with him. Kristy, wife and mother of three young boys would die two months later. The song is not a promise of a miracle. It is, however, the declaration that we all will find ourselves in great need of one at some point in our lives - and in those moments, we choose to believe even when we can't see our hands in front of our face.” The song is very convicting and a sobering reminder that God brings trials to remind us how much we need Him. I love the song order as the next song is an amazing cover of the Jon Foreman song “Your Love Is Strong,” which is a worshipful response back to God including the words to “The Lord’s Prayer.”
“Let Our Faith Be Not Alone,” sung by Ecclesia for more than a year before Seay recorded it, is a song meant to encourage the church as a community of faith. The next song “We Are Not Alone” was co-written with Hillsong United writer Mia Fields and continues the theme of community, which is really the theme of the entire record. “Long Way Home” is a love song from Robbie to his wife and leads to the haunting “Lament (We Cannot Wait),” a stand out song on the album. The song was written in response to a tragedy affecting a close friend Karen whose oldest son was shot and killed. The song reflects another theme of the album, which is that God’s grace is our only hope in times of grief and desperation.
This is a very emotional album and if you’re not familiar with Robbie’s passionate vocal style, this album is hook-filled with catchy melodies wrapped around very introspective, biblical and emotional lyrics. My favorite types of albums grow deeper with each listen, and Miracle is the deepest album I’ve heard all year. For sure, this album will be among my top albums of 2010.
tobyMac [Tonight] | Posted February-05-2010
Starting with dcTalk, and then going solo when the group disbanded in 2000, TobyMac still clings to such notions as hard work, persistence, patience and the power of music, which he insists is still what keeps him going. Tonight is easily the most anticipated new album of the new decade, and is truly amazing and a great way to start off the year. If you are a long-time Christian music fan, you’ll hear that classic blend of rock, hip-hop and worship that made Jesus Freak one of the all-time greatest albums in the history of Christian music. Toby grabbed me immediately with opening track “Tonight,” featuring John Cooper from Skillet, which is a techno-style rock song that rivals “Say The Words” by dcTalk, both in intensity and catchiness. Toby’s vocals have never sounded better and he and John blend seamlessly as they both sing their hearts out on this fantastic opening song expressing our urgency for God. One theme that runs loud and clear throughout the album is the idea that we all need God, and we need him now, this morning, this afternoon, tonight. “Right here, right now / Under the stars / I promise You my heart / ’Cause it starts tonight,” Toby sings on the chorus of the title track.
If you are looking for a hip-hop song in the style of “Made To Love,” look no further than second song “Get Back Up.” The melody and music is so catchy, I was bouncing in my seat as I listened to the song. “Funky Jesus Music” is next and I can’t remember any album since Portable Sounds that has three opening tracks as strong and upbeat as the first three songs on Tonight. If the start of the album wasn’t incredible enough, next comes Toby’s GRAMMY-nominated song “City On Our Knees.” “If you gotta start somewhere why not here? If you gotta start sometime why not now?” he asks on “City on Our Knees,” which is a great song to cool down and worship before the next two songs get you moving again.
“ShowStopper” might actually live up to its pretty impressive title as it has even more grooves than “Boomin’,” which was previously my favorite “party song” by Toby. The bridge “so rock me, drop me, but you will never stop me” sums up the energy level of this great song. “Changed Forever” has a confessional message and features some great guest vocals from Nirva Ready. “‘Hold On’ is very personal,” Toby says. “Many lines are there to encourage my wife, but I know those lines could encourage anybody in a relationship. As for ‘Start Somewhere,’ any time you’re in love with somebody, you’re going to bang heads from time to time. I don’t know how many times I’ve been lying in bed, sweating it out and thinking, How am I going to make this right? But then you reach that moment of apology and forgiveness. And then there’s “Wonderin’,” in which Toby reminisces about the past with Kevin Max and Michael Tait in dcTalk I’m wonderin’ ’bout the way I spend my days / Wonderin’ if it’s even worth the chase / Wonderin’ if they’re stealin’ me from You.” There’s even a healthy dose of reggae on the album closer “Break Open the Sky,” where Toby flexes his Jamaican family ties while Israel Houghton provides guest vocals. Other visiting vocalists include Relient K’s Matthew Thiessen on “Wonderin’.”
This is one of those albums that requires you to move your body along with the unbelievable hooks to truly “feel” the passion of these songs. Tonight should probably come with a warning label for people who get motion sickness. If these songs don’t make you move, you may not have a pulse. Right now, this is the top Christian album of the year and the best overall album by tobyMac in my opinion. Tonight will certainly be holding a place in my top 10 albums of 2010.
Switchfoot [Hello Hurricane] | Posted October-27-2009 Hello Hurricane, Switchfoot’s first studio album since 2006’s Oh! Gravity, which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200, acknowledges life’s storms while managing to find an element of hope in them. The band tracked more than 80 songs at its self-built home studio before narrowing it down to the 12 that appear on the new album. Hello Hurricane is the group’s seventh full-length album and its first on Atlantic Records. Switchfoot is comprised of Jon Foreman (vocals/guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (keys/guitar) and Drew Shirley (guitar).
The album grabbed my attention right from the opening notes of “Needle and Haystack Life”, which will thrill long-time Switchfoot fans, and probably win them new fans with the U2-esque epic feel and extremely catchy music and lyrics. This is one of those albums that is meant to be experienced in the order it is arranged as lead single “Mess of Me” switches gears musically and brings a new grunge-type sound with the passionate lyrics “I wanna spend the rest of my life alive!”. My favorite new Switchfoot song is next, “Your Love Is A Song” in the style of “On Fire” from The Beautiful Letdown. I’ve enjoyed this band since New Way To Be Human released in 1999 and Hello Hurricane truly brings a great mixture sonically and stylistically that fans of rock anthems, alt-rock and grunge-rock will enjoy. “The Sound” will also have you shouting along with Jon, whose vocals have never sounded better and musically this song reminded me of “Stars” and “We Are One Tonight” from Nothing Is Sound, my previous favorite Switchfoot album. There is little that reminds me of Oh! Gravity, other than maybe the up tempo but more refined sounding rock songs that perfect the sound introduced with the title track and “Awakening”.
Some other highlights for me come towards the end of the album, which cools down with “Always”, a truly inspirational song in the style of “Twenty-Four” with this great bridge: “Hallelujah!, I'm caving in, Hallelujah! I'm in love again, Hallelujah!, I'm a wretched man, Hallelujah!, every breath is a second chance”. “Always” transitions beautifully to “Bullet Soul”, another Switchfoot anthem which will have you moving with a great guitar riff and a call to action “are you ready to go?”. As if the album didn’t have enough hooks, my next favorite track comes next with the ballad “Yet” a gorgeous contemplative song with a sincere chorus: “I'll sing until my heart caves in, no, you haven't lost me yet”.
I find myself singing at the top of my lungs with each song and “Your Love Is A Song” is one of my top 20 songs of the year. For me, Hello Hurricane is now the best overall album by Switchfoot and is one of my top 5 albums of 2009. The standout songs are “Needle and Haystack Life”, “Mess of Me”, “Your Love Is A Song”, “The Sound”, “Always”, “Bullet Soul” and “Yet”.
Relient K [Forget And Not Slow Down] | Posted October-16-2009
Relient K’s new album Forget And Not Slow Down is their first project since taking helm of their newly revived record label, Mono Vs. Stereo. Since 2000 they’ve released five full-length albums (three are certified Gold), five EPs and a Christmas record. They have toured the globe, and racked up several hit singles, a Grammy nomination and two Dove Awards. Title track “Forget And Not Slow Down” is the best new Relient K song I’ve heard since “Be My Escape” from my previous favorite Relient K album, 2004’s MmHmm. I love the band Death Cab for Cutie and if you liked Plans by Death Cab for Cutie then you need to hear Forget And Not Slow Down.
To prep for Forget And Not Slow Down, Thiessen retreated to a remote house in Winchester, Tenn. in isolation for several months writing material for the new record. During his sojourn, Thiessen stayed in constant contact with Hoopes and the rest of the band – drummer Ethan Luck, bassist John Warne and guitarist Jon Schneck - sharing song ideas and mapping out a direction for the album. For Thiessen, the solitary creative process was a lot like prayer. “Songwriting and praying are kind of synonymous for me,” he says. “You’re using your heart, you’re using your brain, you’re collecting your thoughts, inner emotions, and putting them all together, and you’re saying, ‘Where does this all fit into my life?’”
The results of that songwriting effort are evident as I was hooked from the opening notes of "Forget And Not Slow Down" right to the end of “This Is The End” (If You Want It)”. The album is truly a musical and lyrical journey and as a fan of emotional style rock like Death Cab for Cutie, Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional, this hook-filled album really works for me. In fact, Matt Thiessen’s vocals remind me of Ben Gibbard’s vocal style on this album. Some other stand-out songs for me are “I Don’t Need A Soul”, “Candlelight”, “Part Of It”, “Therapy”, “Savannah”, “If You Believe Me” and “This Is The End” (If You Want It)”.
This album is now my favorite overall album by Relient K and one of my top 10 overall albums of 2009. Every song is catchy and flavored with Relient K’s signature pop-punk sound, and for me Forget And Not Slow Down tops all of their previous albums and reflects the maturity and polish of a band that has found their niche and is Relient K's crowning achievement in my opinion.
NEEDTOBREATHE [The Outsiders] | Posted October-12-2009
NEEDTOBREATHE’s third album is called The Outsiders—and listening to the anthemic title track that opens the 14-song collection, it’s clear that they embrace this label as both a badge of honor and a battle cry. The sons of an Assembly of God pastor, Bear and Bo Rinehart had inherited their father’s gift with words, and put it to good use in their songwriting; their mother taught piano, making music a constant part of their young lives. NEEDTOBREATHE was formed in 1999 by Bear and Bo with childhood friends Joe Stillwell and Seth Bolt from Possum Kingdom, South Carolina.
Perhaps you’ve heard past hit songs “Shine On”, “Signature of Divine (Yahweh)”, “More Time” and “Washed By The Water” by this amazing band. If you like what you’ve heard before then you have to go buy The Outsiders right away. This album will have you hooked right from the opening title track, which really sets the tone for this album. As Christians, we truly are ‘outsiders’ and we need to ‘stand our ground’ as this anthem urges. “Valley of Tomorrow” reflects on that ‘little voice’ of the Holy Spirit speaking to us, killing our selfishness that turns us away from God. Next is the Peter Gabriel-esque anthem “Through Smoke”, with another picture of the Holy Spirit as the answers and the Truth that finds us ‘through smoke’.
“Lay ‘Em Down” is the first single and is based on the hymn “All Who Are Thirsty”. The gospel feel of the song is similar to Dove award winning “Washed By The Water”. I get choked up when I pray along to the words of the song “Come down to the river, Come and let yourself in, Make good on a promise, To never hurt again, If you're lost and lonely, You're Broken down, Bring all of your troubles come lay 'em down”. The alt-rock edge of “Hurricane” frames an incredible song about the sin that comes from our pride. Here’s the chorus: “We roll the dice we play like fools, We plead with time to change the rules, Its like a hurricane is coming our way, We've all been warned but we still chose to stay”.
Bear’s vocals are emotive yet honest, making the words he’s singing all the more powerful and moving. “Stones Under Rushing Water”, featuring Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek is achingly beautiful, both musically and perhaps even more so lyrically. The song is about the desire to maintain the joy over the years in a married relationship of slow dancing, laughing and smiling and not let those things fade away. Then there’s the blues-inflected rocker “Prisoner”, the back-porch ease of “Won’t Turn Back” and the philosophically minded ballad “These Hard Times”, reflecting the album’s wide range of sounds.
The last 4 songs really show the musical and lyrical excellence and diversity of NEEDTOBREATHE. “Girl Named Tennessee” is a great fun song about an encounter with an unnamed girl from Tennessee. “Something Beautiful” is my favorite song on the album with these very moving lyrics: “Hey now, this is my desire, Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful, To touch me, I know that I'm in reach, 'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful”. “Garden” is a gorgeous orchestral ballad sung in the person of Jesus in Gethsemane. I am extremely moved by the song and the bridge of “Father let My heart be for You, For You, For You, For You” has me in tears. As if the album wasn’t amazing enough, it ends with another anthem “Let Us Love”, calling us to action to “love like we were children and live like we’re still living”. I can’t think of a better way to cap off an incredible album.
I didn’t think NEEDTOBREATHE could top The Heat, but each album has gotten better and The Outsiders is the most catchy and meaningful album I’ve heard this year. This is truly a 5 star album and ranks #1 for me for 2009 and is in my top 10 albums of the decade. Every song is absolutely amazing.
Hawk Nelson [Live Life Loud] | Posted September-28-2009
On the title track and opening song of their fourth album, Hawk Nelson urges its listeners to Live Life Loud. That sentiment, founding member Daniel Biro notes, is “as Hawk Nelson as Hawk Nelson can be.” Live Life Loud. It's not just a matter of volume, mind you; it's a philosophy. Part of living at the extreme that title suggests is embracing all of life, accepting and even celebrating a little pain and darkness and finding a way to let it enrich life.
The album kicks off with Hawk Nelson’s signature rock/punk sound with the title track, complete with cheerleaders. “Live Life Loud” reminds me of previous rock anthems “Friend Like That”, “Bring ‘Em Out” and “California”, but there is a maturity and musical diversity that really makes Live Life Loud the best overall album by Hawk Nelson from beginning to end in my opinion. “Never Enough” and “Eggshells” keep the rock going, and the guitar work has never sounded better. The band lists Jimmy Eat World as a musical influence and if you like that rock/punk sound combined with spiritual lyrics, this album is for you.
Catchy first single “Meaning of Life” continues the search for significance, harmoniously determining to “start today for a new beginning…find a way to make a change in all of us who need to find the meaning of life”. The song reminds me of some of my favorite more pop-style songs recorded by Hawk Nelson, including “From Underneath”, “Everything You Ever Wanted” and “One Little Miracle”. The message of “Meaning of Life” is that we need to stand-out and not blend in with the crowd. We should be bold with our faith, Christians need to make a difference in our world. Next song “Alive” is about losing one’s self and serving others. Another highlight for me is the song “Shaken” which includes some convicting lyrics “Open my eyes and help me see there’s a world outside of me…Lord use me take me where You want me to go”.
The second half of the album includes some more reflective songs including “Lest We Forget”, a great cover of the hymn “Tis So Sweet” with guest vocals by Jenn Helvering (Sandi Patty’s daughter), and the touching closing song “The Final Toast”, written about Jason Dunn’s grandfather. If you’ve liked previous albums by Hawk Nelson, you’ll love Live Life Loud.
This is the best overall album by Hawk Nelson in my opinion. For me the standout songs are “Live Life Loud”, “Never Enough”, “Meaning of Life”, “Alive”, “Shaken” and “Tis So Sweet”. If you like rock/punk like Jimmy Eat World, FM Static and Stellar Kart, then you can’t go wrong with Live Life Loud by Hawk Nelson.
Josh Wilson [Life Is Not A Snapshot] | Posted October-08-2009
Josh Wilson’s debut album Trying to Fit the Ocean in a Cup” included the Top 10 radio hit, “Savior Please,” and also included stand-out songs “3 Minute Song”, “ and “Tell Me”. Josh’s great blend of personal lyrics and catchy music emerges as a focal point of Josh’s sophomore album, “Life Is Not A Snapshot”. This seven-song collection reflects Josh’s great ability for framing questions of faith into musical expressions of trust. Opening song “Sing” showcases Josh’s guitar playing and singing skills with a song that encourages listeners to ‘sing to the One who is our King’ with the bridge “Jesus, Jesus, our Emmanuel, God is with us now”. The song gets me in the mood to start singing songs of praise in anticipation of the Christmas season, and is the current single from the album.
“Before The Morning” is another upbeat song and includes the album title in the lyrics “And hold on, cause there’s good for those who love God, But life is not a snapshot, It might take a little time but you’ll see the bigger picture”. I also really enjoyed singing along with the great upbeat song “Listen”, which reminded me of “Something To Say” by Matthew West. The ballad “Do You Want To Know” really reminds me of the great song “A Million Raindrops” from Bebo Norman’s self-titled album last year. It is a very introspective song and makes you think about the needy we encounter all around us and challenges us “If you want heart of sympathy then pray to God to help you see”.
I also really enjoy the song “How To Fall”, another personal song and catchy melody similar to “Tell Me” from Josh’s first album. Next is the intimate ballad, “Right in Front of Me”, which really hit me with the great expression of faith “I want a miracle, something impossible, So would you help me to believe, When You say everything that’s right in front of me, Is all the proof I’ll ever need”. The album closes with Josh’s excellent instrumental acoustic guitar performance of the world’s most famous hymn, “Amazing Grace,” “We may live in snapshot moments,” Josh says, “but those moments are not Life. Life is not one point in time but all of the points in time between drawing our first and last breaths. Because we have experienced the faithfulness of God in the past we can be secure in the present and trust in the One who holds the future.”
Josh writes catchy folk-pop style melodies and story-songs and if you like Above The Golden State, Bebo Norman, Matthew West and Jason Gray, then you should really enjoy Josh Wilson. My favorites are “Sing”, “Before The Morning”, “Do You Want To Know”, “Listen” and the great instrumental version of “Amazing Grace”.
Derek Webb [Stockholm Syndrome] | Posted August-26-2009
Over two years in the making, Webb co-produced “Stockholm Syndrome”, with former Caedmon’s Call bandmate Josh Moore. “Stockholm Syndrome”, delivers everything listeners have come to expect from Derek Webb: killer pop hooks and lyrics as thought provoking as they are emotionally revealing. Sonically, however, this record is a radical departure for Webb, who has left his acoustic, folk/rock roots behind for a sound he describes as “intentionally inorganic.” “I’ve always loved folk music,” Webb says, “because of its ability to tell the story of the times we’re living live in, in a timeless way. But for me, the best folk music on the scene right now is hip-hop. So with “Stockholm Syndrome”, I wanted to incorporate the more urban and evocative elements of hip-hop.” Webb says he and Moore made the record Gnarls Barkley-style. Webb uses this album as a means of exploring deep issues through the central metaphor of “Stockholm Syndrome”, illuminating the ways in which a society can fall in love with an oppressive culture and become enslaved by it.
After a cool instrumental song called “Opening Credits”, Derek gets right into what he considers the thesis statement of the album with the song “Black Eye”, in essence the title song. According to Derek, “I was looking at the world around me and seeing evidence of Stockholm Syndrome everywhere. All the issues I was having – that my friends were having – that my community was having – were all deeply rooted in our being in love with the ideas and institutions that are holding us hostage. We love these things. We worship them.” The song has a great upbeat style unlike any song I’ve ever heard by Derek and I think he’s bringing up an important theme as Christians, which is how our culture is infatuated with everything that will destroy us. Derek framed the entire album from that perspective. “Cobra Con” is next, with a similar electro-pop musical style and another strong message of out-loving and out-suffering our enemies, the people who seek to do us harm. The tools and the weapons we need to fight back are patience and love.
Rather than address the messages behind each of Derek’s songs, suffice it to say that like all of Derek’s albums, he has social commentary about sensitive topics that most Christian songwriters don’t address such as addressing anti-gay sentiments (“Freddie, Please”), relationships and sexuality (“I Love/Hate You”, “What You Give Up To Get It”) and his usual sarcastic commentary (“Heaven”). To just address the messages song-by-song would be an unfair way to rate this excellent album, the best overall album by Derek Webb in my opinion. Considering that I am a long-time fan of Derek’s back to his Caedmon’s Call days and that “Faith My Eyes”, “Somewhere North”, “Thankful”, “Wedding Dress” and “Lover” are among my favorite songs of all-time, this album was worth the wait. Sonically, this album has everything I look for, musical hooks, great melodies and intelligent lyrics.
One of my favorite sections of the album is the flow from “The State” to “The Proverbial Gun”. Derek kept recording after finishing “The State” and started singing an entire stream of consciousness paragraph that Derek had written which became the song “The Proverbial Gun”, one of my favorite songs on the entire album. Musically it reminds me of the style of “I See Things Upside Down”, with the songs having an intentional flow and musical connection. My other favorite song combination is “Becoming A Slave” and “Jena & Jimmy”. If you like Derek Webb and the musical style of “The Long Fall Back To Earth” by Jars of Clay, I highly recommend “Stockholm Syndrome”.
Jimmy Needham [Not Without Love] | Posted August-20-2009
Houston Texas-based singer/songwriter Jimmy Needham’s InPop Records debut “Speak” showcased his down-to-earth lyrics while exposing the rock, pop and gospel-influenced side of his art as well. “Speak” produced a No. 2 single at Christian Hit Radio with “Lost At Sea,” and its song “Dearly Loved” also broke the Top 10 on CHR. Needham’s sophomore album, “Not Without Love”, is a fitting continuation of his first project and includes standout tracks “Come Around”, "A Breath Or Two", “Hurricane”, “Firefly” and “Forgiven And Loved”.
Opening song “Come Around” sets the tone for this very solid album as Jimmy Needham blends his signature sound that to me blends mainstream artist Jason Mraz with recent American Idol winner Kris Allen. Jimmy’s soulful voice and personal lyrics are very engaging and every song puts me right there with him. Next song “A Breath Or Two” is a great worship song and continues telling Jimmy’s personal journey of faith and highlights the main theme of “Not Without Love” which is 1st Corinthians 13:1-3: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” “Hurricane” is also one of my favorite songs and the song is based on Psalm 51:17 with the great chorus: “I need You like a hurricane, Thunder crashing wind and rain, To tear my walls down, I’m only Yours now”.
Hit song “Firefly” is next and is a great relationship song with the catchy lyrics “You move into a room like Summer breeze at noon time, Baby out of nine I’d give you ten”. My favorite song of the album is next, Jimmy’s hit song “Forgiven And Loved”, which is based on Romans 8:1-“Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. The message of this song is so personal and biblical as it is directed to both believers and non-believers to know that there is no condemnation for our sins when we accept Jesus as our substitute and Savior. Also, we need to know that we can’t earn our own salvation and unfortunately many people live for works and think they can somehow earn their way to heaven.
“Before And After” and “Tossed By The Wind” are also great songs that reflect Jimmy’s Christian walk. “Unfailing Love (Kelly’s song)” is another love song to Jimmy’s wife. “Rend”, “The Author” and “The Great Love Story” close out “Not Without Love” with more biblical truth especially at the end of “The Great Love Story” with the lyrics “All glory, All honor be, To the God that filled the divide”.
If you like Jason Mraz and Kris Allen, you need to check out Jimmy Needham. “Come Around”, "A Breath Or Two", “Hurricane”, “Firefly” and “Forgiven And Loved” are my favorite songs on this very solid album.
Aaron Shust [Take Over] | Posted August-27-2009
Best New Artist of 2006 Aaron Shust returns with his 3rd album, “Take Over” on 8/4/09. The writer and singer of hit songs “My Savior My God”, “Give Me Words To Speak” and “Watch Over Me” once again has written songs of praise and worship set to a nice soft rock musical style. Fans of Bebo Norman, Jeremy Riddle, Jeremy Camp and John Waller should enjoy this album. Aaron has a deep voice and sincere singing style that for me best compares to Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers.
Opening song “To God Alone” is my favorite song on the album. The song has an uplifting message captured in the chorus: “To God alone be the Glory, To God alone be the praise, Everything I say and do, Let it be all for You, The Glory is Yours alone, Yours alone”. I can imagine singing “To God Alone” in worship with fellow believers. The song has already made an impact on Christian radio charts and if you like Aaron’s previous hit songs of worship, then you’ll also enjoy this song and album. “Come And Save Us” is my next favorite on the album and is the most rocking song ever by Aaron and reminded me of Jeremy Camp’s hit song “Speaking Louder Than Before”.
“Take Over” continues with more signature style songs by Aaron including “Forevermore” with very biblical lyrics and a personal calling out to God in faithfulness. The words are inspired by Isaiah 46:9-10. The title song is another standout song for me and reflects my own desire to trust in God completely with the convicting lyrics “I surrender all I have, And I surrender all I am, As I remember what You've done to set me free”. “Take Over” is a song I keep coming back to on this very solid album.
The album includes several more songs of personal worship which struck me, especially “Rest In The Arms” and “Still You Love Me”. I especially love the confession in “Still You Love Me” where Aaron praises God for His grace and mercy for still loving us while we are still sinners. “You see everything I do, And still You love me”. The album is filled with messages of hope, confession and worship to our Great God and Savior.
This is my favorite overall album by Dove Award winning artist Aaron Shust. For me, the standout songs are “To God Alone”, “Come And Save Us”, “Take Over” and “Still You Love Me”. If you liked previous hit songs by Aaron Shust, then you’ll enjoy “Take Over”.
KevinDavis_NRT's Music and Book Reviews 
