MUSIC REVIEWS
RUN WILD. LIVE FREE. LOVE STRONG (DELUXE ANNIVERSARY EDITION) FOR KING AND COUNTRY (Word Entertainment) IF YOU haven’t picked up For King and Country’s sophomore album Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong, now might be a good time. The Australian band led by brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone have recently released an anniversary edition with three new songs to create the definitive version. The three new songs build on the album’s message of living life to the fullest, the way God intended, fearlessly fighting for the good. Songs like “Ceasefire” speak of the fight we’re called to: “One by one we will fight for a better end, one by one we could rewrite the headlines.” New song “Priceless” places a specific mission on the hearts of young men. The same name of the band’s upcoming movie, starring Joel Smallbone, speaks of a woman’s worth beyond our society’s rubric. “It might be hard to hear, but let me tell you dear, if you could see what I can see, I know you would believe that isn’t who you are, there’s more to who you are.” Together, the additions reiterate the life followers of Christ are called to, just as their band’s name borrows from the old ideals of courage and sacrifice for a higher cause.
BY STEVEN SUKKAU
BEAUTIFUL OFFERINGS
GOD IS ON THE MOVE
BIG DADDY WEAVE (Word Entertainment)
7EVENTH TIME DOWN (BEC Recordings)
TO LONG-time fans’ delight, Big Daddy Weave’s tenth studio album, Beautiful Offerings, is in keeping with the band’s stellar discography of hit songs. Standout track “My Story” will no doubt find a place among the band’s most well-loved hits like “Fields of Grace” and “What Life Would Be Like”. Mike Weaver’s rich voice is in turns powerful in triumphant declarations like “If I should speak then let it be of the grace that is greater than all my sin,” on “My Story,” and vulnerable as he searches on the title track: “Every season, and every step, every heartbeat and every breath… make it a beautiful offering.” The strength and tenderness of Big Daddy Weave’s music perhaps comes in the way the band seeks to exemplify God, the Lion and the Lamb, throughout the album’s 15 tracks. The exuberant praise and expectations of “Heaven is Here” and “Glory Unspeakable” pair nicely with tender “You’re Gonna Love Him” and “Welcome.” Weave’s desire to model Christ is evident, as he sings on Jesus I Believe, “I wanna say what You’re saying.” This mix of fierce passion and quiet intimacy that flows throughout Beautiful Offerings paints a picture of a God you want to bring your offerings to in worship.
LIKE 2013’s hit song “Just Say Jesus,” Christian rock band 7eventh Time Down’s third album, God Is On The Move, strips everything back to get at the core of faith. Their lyrics can seem overly simple and straightforward at first, yet the earnestness of their message, and their brand of melodic rock is immediately infectious. That earnestness elevates statements like, “I still believe in the cross, in the blood, in the love of a risen King.” It’s not necessarily deep theological musings, but the power of the straightforward creed is a revealing reminder of why Christ insists on faith like a child. “And for me it means that I’ll live just to give my everything.” Like the tongue-in-cheek spelling of the band’s name, you could write off 7eventh Time Down as too obvious, but as God Is On The Move reminds the listener, we so easily overcomplicate faith when the simplicity of Christianity is almost scandalous, as heard on “Promises.” “All I need is You… one thing I’ve found in all my weakness is that I find my strength in the name of Jesus… I’ve seen it again and again, I can stand on Your promises.”
/ STEVEN SUKKAU works for Golden West Radio and resides in Winkler, Manitoba.
12 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016