"Center Of It All" by Desperation Band View All Reviews

The latest release from Desperation Band, Center of It All, is a solid follow-up to 2009’sLight Up the World.  I personally questioned why Dband would record this as a studio album instead of as a live album, but one listen and the reason, at least to me, became obvious.  This feels as if it is a wonderful blend of studio and live recording.  Why?  The “choir” of friends who joined the band for jam sessions are a prominent backing for Jon Egan and the band throughout this album, giving it a very singable feel.  Only a studio album could raise the bar higher than Light Up the World.  With an opening statement like that, does Centerlive up to the hype?  Read on and find out.

Center kicks off with “All to Him,” a slow-building, yet anthemic opening to the album.  If you’ve listened to Hillsong United’s Aftermath album from February 2011, you’ll see that “All to Him” is remarkably similar to the opening track of “Take Heart.”  “All to Him” declares that “We know the great God/ We serve the great God/ We owe the great God/ everything, all to Him.”  The first verse of the song declares that for every mountain that is high, for every burden that is great, for every valley that is deep, our God is higher, our God is greater, and our God is deeper.  And the second verse is similar in how it declares the truths of our faith.

Track 2 is a song New Lifers will recognize from Sunday mornings: “Wonderful.”  You’ll recognize the opening piano riff, but if not, the lyrics “Your freedom reigns/ Your justice roars/ Your people sing/ You’re the risen Lord/ Our hearts alive/ Our hope endures/ In all the earth/ There is no One so wonderful” should jog your memory.  This is a fun, upbeat song; I am hopeful that this song will go on as a radio single.  It’s not as if Dband needs the recognition from radio, but this is a great song that people should hear.

“Strong God” is another Sunday morning favorite.  “Sing out/ lift your voice and cry out/ awesome is our strong God/ mighty is our God.”  The most poignant part of the song comes after the song ends, when the “congregation” continues with a repeat of the bridge: “There is no higher, no/ There is no greater, no/ There is none stronger than our God.”  The feel of the end is just as if they had recorded a live album.

“Magnified” is a great song declaring God’s glory.  Initially, I was unimpressed but subsequent listens really showed how deep the lyrics are and how great the musicianship truly is.  “God You Are My God” is DBand’s first cover, originally recorded by the group one sonic society and written by Jason Ingram, Paul Mabury, and Rory Noland.  “It impacted me in a special way when I first heard it and that was why I wanted to include it on the album,” Egan said, in regards to why they chose to cover a song for the first time.

“My God” has a very acoustic feel, lacking the choral backing present on the rest of the album.  Gateway Church’s Kari Jobe is Egan’s only backup.  Jobe has been a participant in the Desperation Conferences and co-wrote this song with Egan and Mia Fieldes of Hillsong.  Quiet and subdued, “My God” is a catch-your-breath moment on the album.

“Our God Is Coming” is the only song on the album that was not a collaboration.  Egan wrote it himself, but this doesn’t detract from the quality of the song.  In fact, this is probably one of the best tracks on the album.  It has a driving beat, consistent with the message that God IS coming, and we need to be ready. “Our God is coming/ look to the sky/ Heaven is wide” focuses us to where our Lord will come from.  The urgency of the message transitions well into the title track, “Center of It All.”  The reminder that our God is coming helps us to remember who is at the center of our lives, that “If I have you and nothing else/ I have everything/ If I have everything but You I have nothing.”

The next track is one that New Lifers will definitely recognize, “This I Know.”  Since this track is familiar, on to the next song, “You Are the Glory.”  This song is a great encouragement for those who are struggling with daily life.  “You are the Glory/ the lifter of my head.”  This worshipful, encouraging song sets the stage for the last three tracks on the album.

“We Will Not Forget” declares that we know what God has done for us and we will not forget it.  While this is a good song, it comes between “Glory” and the heartfelt “Take Me To the River,” followed by “River Flow.”  Egan says that “Take Me” is the song with the most significance to him.  “There is a passage in Ezekiel about the river flowing in the new Jerusalem and wherever it goes it brings new life,” he said. “The song is probably my favorite song I’ve ever written…. It’s basically about control, about going to the river and wading in until it takes you away.  The chorus ‘Take me to the river/ Pull me off the shore’  is about giving control to Him.”  It is a heartfelt prayer for God to take us to the river of His life and love, a cry for God to pull us into Him.  “River Flow” is a quiet closing track that is mostly a reprise of “Take Me.”

Again, Desperation Band has managed to release another stellar collection of songs soon to be sung in churches around the country.  There isn’t a weak song on the album.  This collection certainly follows up the excellence of Light Up the World with a reminder of what is imminent and songs that truly focus our hearts where they should go.  Our God is indeed coming.  Let’s make Him the Center of It All until He does. 

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