Travis Greene is one of those artists that make you feel elated to see them succeed. Travis has been making music for a while, serving and plugging away until he released "Intentional" and also "Made A Way," which has made major waves in many churches. His R&B/folk style of singing is reminiscent of (but not identical to) Mali Music. He has also gained the respect of those in both Gospel and CCM. His new album Crossover: Live from Music City is a definite winner, one of those albums that does not come along often.
"Have Your Way" is a great start. Done in 3/4 time signature coupled with a pop contemporary acoustic beginning and a driving ending, "Have Your Way" sets the right tone. Lyrics like those from "Worship Rise" can be easily grabbed by those who love to worship God and those who are new to all of this: "Let my worship rise like a sweet perfume / I'll pour my love all over You... Forever, worship will rise / Forever, be glorified." I can sit with this song for a while, and if you are looking for another song to use during your prayer time, look no further.
It seems as if there are less songs by Gospel artists being put in setlists than songs by Elevation Worship and Hillsong in many churches. Travis gets it, and his creating music that can easily be plugged into praise and worship setlists. "Triumphant" describes the upbeat "With Your Love;" here's hoping worship leaders will add this to their setlist. "See The Light" is a little deceptive at first with its uptempo but light feel to it, then Isaiah Templeton takes the tag and straight "churched" it!
The title "Daddy's Home" seemed like an interesting one, and I thought it might be a song for Travis' son, but I was mistaken. Instead its premise is that one who searches for their identity will find it when they let God in. I appreciate Travis adding Hailey Kiteley to the song because she is extremely talented but not yet a household name. They blend well together, but each would have done equally well by themselves. The song seems tailor-made for both of them.
If "Love Always Win" is not played on CCM radio, I will be both disappointed and surprised. It is melodic and lyrically sound with light percussion programming and acoustic guitars. Though it sounds a little formulaic, the idea of love is one that resonates with many.
The Bottom Line: Crossover is Travis Greene's best album. He actually topped his previous project The Hill, which was a very difficult thing to do. There are no bad songs on the album, an accomplishment in this era where singles seem to be serviced sometimes to almost shield the rest of an album. This is definitely one of the best albums of the past few years.
Songs to Download:
"Worship Rise" (Get it on iTunes here.)
to add lyrics if not listed.
