Sarah Macintosh: Current
Posted March 31, 2012
By TCMRB,
I am not usually one to listen to female vocalists a lot, but Sarah Macintosh has very quickly changed that about me. Current is her latest release on Integrity Music, and it is a masterpiece. Her voice is captivating, and her alternative style of music is perfect. After only the first 30 seconds of the first song I was already in love with her. This year seems to be the year where female vocalists really break out. I loved Kari Jobe's album Where I Find You, and Lindsay McCaul's If It Leads Me Back To You was pretty good too. And now I am really getting into Audrey Assad's album Heart (review coming soon!). Of those four, Current is my favorite though, and one that I find myself listening to once or twice, or three times a day.
The album starts instantly with my favorite song, and also the title track of the record. "Current" has very interesting instrumentals that automatically caught my attention and fascinated me. Her voice also immediately drew me in, and I had a feeling that I was going to really like Current just from this song. The song talks about being swept away by God and not by the things of this world, and the majesties of being swept away in God's grace and love. Needless to say, Macintosh starts the album off very well.
The first and only single from the album, "We Should Run," follows up the title track and is just as good as the first song. The track basically picks up right where the title track left off by talking about the joys of abiding in Christ's will. One thing that really cemented my love for Macintosh and her music is the intricacy of the instrumentals in each of her songs - they sound unlike anything I have heard. The next song, "Take it All," is about giving all our sorrows, burdens, worries - all of it - to God. The song feels more suited for Christian radio than most of the others, and one I would definitely love to see go to radio.
The first verse of "Hope" kind of reminds me of Gungor, just because it sounds very similar to some of their songs. I love, love, love the chorus to this song, which is all about how we have hope because we know Christ is coming back for us. I love that she talks about how we can have fun and spread our arms out and be comforted in the fact that Jesus will one day come back for us. Sometimes it feels like there are shifts in an album, and "Laughter Comes Upon Us" definitely feels like a shift in Current. The style of the music feels a little different than the style of the beginning of the album and for some reason it just feels like the album shifts a little bit at this point.
"Galaxy Former" is a really cool song, and one that is a definite highlight in the middle of the album. The instrumentals are superb and her voice is definitely right on par. The song follows in the theme of the some of the earlier tracks by talking about the wonders of Christ and how truly great He is. I think the highlight of the song, for me though, is her voice - it sounds perfect on this song.
Probably the best track at the end of Current is "Calling, Calling." It is a very calming song and I think, once again, her voice sounds fantastic. The concept of the song is that through faith in God we can truly do anything, which is always a great reminder for me, and I think for all Christians.
Sarah Macintosh's Current is truly a masterpiece worthy of being on everyone's iPod. Her voice is superb and the instrumentals are great and original. Right now it is one of my favorite albums of the year and I have a feeling it will be one that I listen to for a very long time. As I said earlier, I am not always a huge fan of female vocalists, but Macintosh has very much captivated me with each and every song on this record. Even if you do not necessarily like female vocalists or the alternative genre, I would highly recommend giving this one a chance.
Favorite Song: Current
Favorite Lyrics: "Words from my heart have found their way to Your mouth. I know You sing. You're prayers are for me." (From the song "Hiding Place")
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from The Christian Music Review Blog. Click here to visit today! View All Music And Book Reviews By TCMRB | View TCMRB's Profile
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