Saints and Sinners, the newest release from award-winning artist Matt Maher, is a collection of songs aimed at the heart of the church. Derived from the Oscar Wilde quote, “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future,” Maher expertly explores themes of inclusion, unity and grace. Includes the hit song “Because He Lives (Amen).”
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Album of the Year?| Posted March 29, 2015
Matt Maher has quickly become my favorite worship leader. His sincere singing and songwriting style and biblically inspired lyrics have made me a huge fan. He is best known for writing and singing the worship anthems “Your Grace is Enough,” “Christ is Risen,” “Hold Us Together,” “Alive Again” and “Lord, I Need You.”
The first three songs, “A Future Not My Own,” “Deliverer” and “Glory Road” all flow together with a Brit-rock musical style and plenty of energy and excitement about our relationship with Christ and that His grace is worthy of praise, such as in “A Future Not My Own” with the confessional proclamation: “Lord Help my unbelieving, my poverty, I’m incomplete, this is the great unknown, Love is a long and narrow road…this world is not my home, I still have miles and miles to go…I need a future not my own!” Matt is a brilliant lyricist, and he pours his heart out in every single song.
“Deliverer” is exactly the type of catchy worship song I’ve come to love from Matt Maher. The song features instantly sing-able vertical and prayerful lyrics. I sing along with the top of my lungs when Matt belts out, “God You’re my Deliverer, the One, the One who carries us, God You’re my Deliverer.” This song has my favorite bridge of the year which builds to a crescendo, “we’re free to love and live and die, and there’s no need to justify…from the flood, from the fire…with a faith, just like a child, I’m not afraid, I’m running wild, I am Yours and You are my Deliverer!”
“Glory Bound” has a “Turn Around” style musical vibe with an infectious chorus: “Well I don’t which way you’re going, I don’t know if you’re lost or found, all that I know is you’ve been forgiven, I’ll tell you this train is glory bound.” I can’t get enough of this great worship anthem and the emotion and biblical truth that Matt brings to the song, particularly in the bridge, “Come on, make some room in your heart for mercy, come on make some room for a little grace. Come on make some room for the sinners and the saints.” Jesus tells us throughout the Bible that love is all we need and commands us to “love one another.” He loved us so much that He came to die for our sins and yet even as Christians, we create so much conflict and strife amongst ourselves.
“Land of my Father” is filled with Matt’s excellent use of solid theological truth with the biblical lyrics: “we sing Holy, Holy, my eyes have seen the glory of the great God almighty.” Those are Truths that we can all proclaim loudly together as followers of Christ, regardless of denomination or preferences.
For those looking for times of reflective and personal worship, don’t miss “Abide with Me” and “Rest.” “Abide with Me” is a powerful ballad and I love the emotion and biblical truth that Matt brings to the song. The song has Matt’s signature soothing vocals as he prayerfully sings, “Abide with Me, abide with Me, don’t let me fall, and don’t let go, walk with me, and never leave, ever close God abide with me.”
“Rest” is an instantly sing-able and worshipful Psalm 23 inspired anthem, “Oh my Lord, You are my Shepherd and I shall not want, I trust in You, I trust in You, Even though I walk through the valley of death, You restore my soul and give me rest.”
Every now and then a song comes along that I can really sing as a daily prayer in response to my Savior, and this album is loaded with that type of song, in particular “Because He Lives (Amen).” As Matt declares in the song, “I believe in the Son, I believe in the risen One, I believe I overcome, by the power of His blood.” Consider those words when you are starting your day and have this sentiment be your daily anthem, “Amen, Amen, I’m alive, I’m alive because He lives, Amen Amen, Let my song join the one that never ends, Because He lives.” The lyrics, “I know He holds my life, my future in His hands” is the type of worshipful sentiment that has always attracted me to Matt’s incredible songwriting. Matt has written several amazing songs for the Church and this song resonates with believers everywhere.
Closing Thoughts:
Highly anticipated after the success of his last album, All the People Said Amen, this compelling, 11-track album Saints and Sinners is an excellent follow-up. The album keeps Matt’s signature holy energy flowing, and has plenty more songs that you’ll soon be singing with fellow believers.
The album perfectly captures the penetrating spirit and charisma Matt Maher’s worship songs have become known for. Maher’s theological, holy and reverent style of writing and singing worship songs has consistently attracted me.
Several of Maher’s new prayerful sentiments should be added to your Sunday morning worship set, especially “A Future Not My Own,” “Deliverer,” “Glory Bound,” “Because He Lives (Amen),” and the gorgeous ballads “Abide with Me” and “Rest.” This album provides listeners with eleven tracks of vertical offerings to God that you can sing in any circumstance, and this is my album of the year.
Song to download now: “Because He Lives (Amen)” (Get it on iTunes here).
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