Love and Positivity Posted October 07, 2023 By KevinDavis_NRT, Staff Reviewer
What You Need to Know While remaining true to her contemporary Christian roots, Natalie Grant has released Seasons, a 10-song collection that features some of her favorite cover songs. This is her 11th studio project. From iconic CCM standards, like Russ Taff’s “We Will Stand” and Andrae Crouch’s “My Tribute,” to personal offerings like Bob Dylan's classic “To Make You Feel My Love,” which features Grant’s mother and daughters, the brand-new collection finds the songstress covering selections that have played a significant role in every season of her life. Additionally, Seasons boasts duets with CeCe Winans, Mary Mary, and Dolly Parton.
What it Sounds Like The album is designed to be listened to in track order as you'll go on the journey with Natalie and her friends from “In Christ Alone” to “Make You Feel My Love.” In this era of singles and streaming, this is one of those throw-back style albums, both in musical and vocal style and in how Natalie and her friends invite you into their walk with Jesus with each note of each song. There are catchy musical arrangements which highlight Natalie’s signature powerful voice throughout each song. The album features a great musical mix of soulful worship songs, gospel songs, and expressive ballads.
Spiritual Highlights Natalie has consistently impressed me with her mature faith, and a sincere desire to proclaim truth over her life and express her prayerful offerings is found in every song. Each track is about proclaiming her dependence on God, which stirs my heart, mind, and soul to sing “In Christ Alone, I place my trust.”
“I Need You,” originally recorded by LeAnn Rimes, features tender and powerful vocals and takes listeners on an emotional journey re-working a love song to affirm our relationship with God, “I need You, like water, like breath, like rain, I need You like mercy, from heaven’s gate, there’s a freedom in Your arms, that carries me through, I need You.” The song is very stirring and convicting.
Standout song “You Will Be Found” features Cory Asbury and is a gorgeous offering of comfort. The tender message of the song stirs your heart to sing along. I have been listening to the song non-stop since it released, and it builds on the emotion from the original recording from Dear Evan Hansen.
Best Song on the Record “You Will Be Found” is a beautiful song about being seen by someone, or--as I have soaked in the message of this song--in this version you can know with certainty that you will be found by God. There’s nowhere you can go that is out of His reach. This song, although originally intended to be an identity song as featured in the musical and movie Dear Evan Hansen, I am profoundly moved by this biblically connected and empowering song about finding our identity in Christ and what He says about us.
Suddenly, “You Will Be Found” isn't just a song about helping a friend find their way out of the fogginess of depression and anxiety; it's about a Savior who picks us up when we're broken and on the ground.
Original songwriters Pasek and Paul may have inadvertently creatively phrased biblical truth with the lyrics, “Well, let that lonely feeling wash away, maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay/'Cause when you don't feel strong enough to stand/You can reach, reach out your hand/And oh, someone will come running.” The psalm-like lyrics, “Even when the dark comes crashing through, when you need a friend to carry you/And when you're broken on the ground/You will be found/So let the sun come streaming in/'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again/Lift your head and look around/You will be found,” beautifully leads to the affirmation “So when the sun comes streaming in, 'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again/If you only look around/You will be found.” I'm really engaged by the emotional vocals and the deep, prayerful lyrics throughout the album.
Final Word Finding our identity in Christ is a theme that weaves its way throughout this offering. You’ll be hooked right from the opening notes of the album, setting the tone for the album. All of the songs are memorable and personal. These moving recordings are poignant songs of reflection. Every song is emotionally captivating. Natalie’s powerful and gorgeous vocals keep me hanging on every word she and her friends sing.
Seasons is the first covers project by Natalie Grant. These are very passionate songs sung with vocal sincerity, allowing Natalie and her friends to share their messages of love and positivity with more people than ever. I'm really engaged by the emotional vocals and the prayerful lyrics found in the sacred songs.
