Believe It!
Posted August 08, 2011
By IronJedi,
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. View All Music And Book Reviews By IronJedi | View IronJedi's Profile
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