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Where I Find You Review | Posted January 24, 2012
Let’s go back in time for a moment to the year 2006. A thriving church in the Dallas, Texas area by the name of Gateway has just released their first live worship project, Living For You. While the album as a whole went on to become a success, it was a track by the name of "Revelation Song" that drew people’s attention to this up-and-coming worship team. The song absolutely floored the church with it's undeniable power, and quickly earned Gateway Worship respect in the worship music genre.
Now, while Kari Jobe can't take credit for writing the song, it was her passionate soprano vocals and praise-filled performance that made all the difference in it's rise to popularity, and ever since then, it's been a rollercoaster of success for the longtime worship leader. Having released her self-titled debut in early 2009 to critical acclaim, Kari has gone on to lead worship all over the globe, as well as win a Dove Award for her Spanish language project Le Canto, back in 2010, all while staying true to her roots as a worship leader back home at Gateway.
As if all this weren’t enough reason to celebrate, Kari’s fans were delighted to hear back in early 2011, that she had signed with Sparrow Records and was hard at work with producers Ed Cash and Matt Bronleewe on a follow-up project, a project which we now know as 2012’s Where I Find You.
“After singing about the importance of making time for intimate worship on my first album, I wanted to take the next step on Where I Find You,” Kari says of the album. “This past year has been the season of being completely uncomfortable and going through things I didn’t understand … I think there are times as believers that we feel entitled that life shouldn’t be hard… but if we can learn to fall more in love with the Lord and trust Him in the middle of every storm, we build our endurance to keep running the race.”
Unapologetically honest yet passionately worshipful, Kari’s latest comes as a departure from her previous work, but don’t let that fool you. Sometimes, change can be a good thing.
“Steady My Heart,” which speaks of finding God’s peace in the middle of life’s messes, starts this album off on a superb note, and transitions nicely into the first single, “We Are.” Coming as both an encouragement and a challenge to the church, the song reminds us that we are more than our past mistakes, and in Christ, we have the ability to shine and let others know the same. “One Desire” becomes as a passionate moment of praise, and is sure to leave the listen engrossed in worship: “With my heart bowed low and my hands held high, all consuming fire, You’re my one desire…”
“Find You On My Knees” serves as the rawest song on the project. Coming from a place of penetrating pain and confusion, it’s stands as a declaration that it’s when we’re at our lowest, we allow God to move the mightiest. “Savior’s Here” could almost be taken as a sequel to the previous track, speaking of the redemption only Christ can bring from the depths of a broken heart.
“Stars In The Sky,” co-written by Dove Award winning male vocalist, Chris August, is a breathy and moving moment of surrender to the Creator. It would make a great radio single in the future. “What This Love Is,” brings to mind Kari’s previous hit, “You Are For Me,” with it’s haunting piano driven melody and heartfelt worship lyrics.
“Run To You” talks about drawing nearing to God, while the melodically uplifting “Rise” reminds us of the greatness of our God. “Love Came Down,” made popular by Bethel Worship, is meant to remind us of how God’s love came and rescued us, that we might be saved from any grueling situations we face today.
“We Exalt Your Name,” a duet with praise and worship lead Matt Maher, comes as yet another prayer, asking God to come in meet us as we worship Him with open ears and a steadfast heart. The project finally comes to a close with a song called “Here,” which is undoubtedly the highlight on this record. In a world that is constantly moving, it speaks about staying still and finding rest in the Lord. It’s soothing and lullaby-esque music matches the tone of the song perfectly and will leave the listener fully wrapped up in the presence of God: “He is here, you’ll find His healing, your heart isn’t shattered anymore, He is here.”
Closing Thoughts:
Where I Find You has been well worth the wait for Kari Jobe fans. Intensely passionate and honest, this has taken Kari’s artistry and elevated it to a whole new level. This is a deeper project than her 2009 debut, many of the songs coming from an openly broken place, but it’s the promise of hope in the midst of that brokenness, that turns each song into a beautiful anthem of unwavering praise. Musically, while her debut hung heavily on a quirky organic sound, this effort sounds much more studio polished and matured. Some people might miss that eccentric earthiness, but regardless, it’s hard not to enjoy the smooth and stirring melodies found on this project, especially when they each hold such a profound meaning.
Where I Find You is hands down Kari’s best work to date in her extensive yet concise carrier, and will easily go down as one of the top worship albums of the year. It will be a thrill for fans to watch as she continues to grow in her musicianship from this point forward, and if this album is any indication of her future, great things lie ahead.
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