NewSong [One True God]
Posted May 10, 2011
By KevinDavis_NRT, Staff Reviewer
Nobody does tours like NewSong. When the group introduced its annual "Winter Jam Tour Spectacular" in 1995, NewSong started to change the public face of Christian music. The mega-event on wheels has become one of the Gospel music world's biggest annual tours, with some history-making moments along the way. To this day, NewSong's multi-artist, ticketless concerts give thousands the opportunity not only to hear incredible music but, of course, to also hear the Gospel message. During 2011's Tour, more than 100,000 Winter Jam attendees made either a first-time commitment to follow Christ or rededicated their lives to Him. More than 500,000 fans attended the 46 dates of the 2011 Winter Jam Tour ranking it as the largest tour of any kind in the world during the year's first quarter according to Pollstar.
I got the chance to experience the band performing the first two songs from One True God, the title track and “Love Is The Medicine” at Winter Jam in Reading, PA. I’ve followed this band since I was saved due to seeking Jesus after hearing the Gospel messages of Christian music in the mid-1990’s, for which I’m eternally grateful. Everyone has heard “The Christmas Shoes,” and my favorite NewSong album to date is Sheltering Tree. The band has undergone multiple line-up changes and Russ Lee is now back as the main lead vocalist, and keyboardist Matt Butler shares lead vocals on the title track, which is one of the stand-out songs of One True God. The message of the song is powerful as Butler professes the strong lyrics, “When the dust has settled and this world is no more, every saint and sinner will confess that You are Lord.” The next two tracks are catchy and inspirational adult contemporary songs. In “Love Is The Medicine,” Lee passionately sings that “Jesus is the remedy,” and in “The Same God,” Butler softly sings “the same God with you then is with you now, the same God who led you in, will lead you out, take all the fear and doubt, go and lay them down, the same God with you then is with you now, He’s with you now.”
The song I can’t stop playing is the stand-out track “The Way You Smile,” an incredibly infectious duet sung by Russ Lee and Francesca Battistelli. The song was co-written by Lee and Eddie Carswell for Eddie’s youngest son’s wedding. Extended-family NewSong member Francesca Battistelli adds a gorgeous female vocal which reminds me of Natalie Grant’s vocals on “When God Made You.” It is a super-catchy love song that would be great for Christian weddings and I love the bridge, “If God be for us, who can be against us.” Francesca’s husband Matt Goodwin was the drummer for NewSong when they met during Winter Jam in 2009 and her father-in-law Billy Goodwin sings on “Strong City.” “Why Worry?” is a another catchy song filled with the biblical truth from Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” One of my favorite songs on the album is the worshipful ballad “Between The Cross And Crown.” In classic NewSong style, Lee, Goodwin, Carswell and Butler all share vocals and harmonize the worshipful chorus, “Lord, give us strength, here and now, in the days between the cross and crown.”
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I love songs that are filled with biblical truth, and several stand-out tracks on the album have biblical references, especially “One True God,” “Love Is The Medicine,” “Why Worry?” and “Between The Cross And Crown.” The album is filled with catchy and inspirational adult contemporary songs. Don’t miss the amazing duet “The Way You Smile,” featuring Francesca Battistelli. If you like MercyMe, Casting Crowns and classic NewSong, One True God is their best album since Sheltering Tree. View All Music And Book Reviews By KevinDavis_NRT | View KevinDavis_NRT's Profile
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