Top 10 Album Of 2009
Posted January 04, 2010
By KevinMcNeese_NRT, Staff Reviewer
My heart is broke for the Chapman family. Tragedy in any circumstance is never easy to understand, yet it's something that most of us will face in some form or another. The loss of a child, as the Chapman's experienced in 2008 with the death of his five-year-old daughter Maria, is simply unspeakable. As a father of two young children, my emotions overtake me when I think about where I was when I heard the news.
For Steven, life and music have always been inextricably intertwined so it's no surprise that this project is defined by the process of healing. Beauty Will Rise is filled with raw emotion song, after song. A longing for a daddy to once again play with his daughter. An overwhelming sadness of trying to move forward without Maria by his side. An expectation of rejoining his daughter in Heaven in a joyous embrace. This is Steven's personal Psalms. They are cries to heaven that Steven has decided to share with the public.
Songs about tragedy in Christian music is nothing new. Artists like Casting Crowns and Mark Schultz have made a career out of singing about the more challenging times we face and the hope that tomorrow brings. But hearing about personal tragedy from an artist so respected is certainly a jolt to the senses and a part of me wishes this album would never have seen the light of day.
Many of these songs will never make it to the radio, which is probably a good thing since tears flow freely whenever I put this album on. It's possible this will not be a commercial success for Steven. I doubt we'll see a Beauty Will Rise tour. But I guarantee this album will do more for more people throughout the years than most of the albums on this Top 10 list ever will. The reality of losing a loved one, in any circumstance, is something we will all face, and Steven could have done what so many people do in this circumstance--retreat, hide and let anger set in. Instead, we find a broken man, much like the one we read about in Job, walking on the dark side of God's Sovereign purposes and plans. And in the process of being made whole, Steven leans hard on the biblical truths that he's been singing about since he released his first album twenty-two years ago.
I strive for that faith every day, in the good times and the bad. On the mountain tops and in the valleys. And now I won't have to look far when needing an encouraging song to remind me the path built on pain also leads straight to the heart of God.
I simply wish it were not so heartbreaking to listen to. View All Music And Book Reviews By KevinMcNeese_NRT | View KevinMcNeese_NRT's Profile
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