Colton Dixon [A Messenger]
Posted January 22, 2013
By KevinDavis_NRT, Staff Reviewer
Colton Dixon turned heads on American Idol with his mesmerizing voice and performances. A Messenger is his Sparrow Records debut. The album takes its title from the Bible passage John 13:16: “Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the One who sent him.” Starting with the instrumental “Intro,” the album quickly displays Dixon’s rock influence with the standout song “Noise.” The idea of the song is to break from the noise and hear that still, small voice—just knowing that at the end of it all, even through the noise, everything's going to be okay. Surefire hit song “I’ll be the Light” is tailor made for Christian radio. The transparent and personal lyrics are infectious: “I'll be the light when there's nothing but night/Till now you've had to feel your way through the honest lies of yesterday/I'll guide you in no matter how long you've been/Lost in love and all alone/A million miles away from home/And when your dawn refuses to fight/I'll be the light.” It's very sing-able and a great song.
Dixon is already a chart-topping artist via the album's first two singles, "Never Gone" and "You Are," both of which were released this past fall. The chorus of “You Are” is very catchy: “You are the air I breathe in, You are the hope I'm needing.” Dixon says—“To me, that's worship. Whatever song I'm singing, I want God to be the focus and all around me; He's the hope that gets me through to the next day. Amen. “Scars” is a fantastic song co-written with Rob Hawkins. A poignant lyric is “Scars remind us who we are.” According to Colton, “it's a map of where we've been in life; you can look at a scar and it immediately takes you back to what happened to create that. And at the end of the song, it ties in with my faith, and it says, God, Your scars remind us who we are.”
Closing ballad “Let Them See You” is one of my favorite songs on the album and has already become a personal anthem to sing to God daily
in devotional times of prayer and reflection. Third Day’s Scotty Wilbanks wrote the song and sent it to Colton for his album. This is a wonderful song of encouragement and prayer to ask God to break your pride, live redemption's story, and move closer to who we're meant to be in Christ. At some point, we all make mistakes and need to ask God for forgiveness. God wants to give us His grace and mercy, we need to fall down at His feet and pray. Believing the words of this song is a great way to work on the disciplines of self-examination and prayer. You can know Jesus personally. Reach out to Him and know with certainty: "perfect love casts out fear."
CLOSING THOUGHTS
A Messenger includes 11 soaring, modern rock-infused contemporary vertical focused songs that resemble a blend of MercyMe, Coldplay and fellow American Idol alum Jason Castro. There are several standout songs including “Noise,” “I’ll be the Light,” “Scars,” "You Are," "Never Gone" and “Let Them See You.” These songs will certainly connect with radio listeners and showcase the multi-talented singer/songwriter's trademark balance with vocal tenderness and intensity, his energetic piano playing and, above all, a sense of hope and inspiration. This album is all about finding our true identity in Christ. He is the answer. This album encourages listeners to be a messenger. View All Music And Book Reviews By KevinDavis_NRT | View KevinDavis_NRT's Profile
|
