This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply. Stephen Christian, formerly of Anberlin, has debuted his new song “Trust.” You can stream it below via Alternative Press. Expand - View Original
We've had access to this album for a while over at Jesusfreakhideout.com and apparently it's pretty typical CCM/worship fare. I haven't heard it personally, but apparently it won't be anything like Dustin Kensrue's Christian output. His album The Water and the Blood is still one of my favorite worship albums of the decade.
Real heavy-handed on the Jesus stuff, which makes sense for him. Unfortunate for me. Oh well! Maybe next record.
I feel like this has so much potential, but it just sounds like standard worship fare. Such a shame because it's so good to hear Stephen's voice again (excellent as usual) and that guitar hook is great. The song as a whole just isn't all that stellar. I understand most people here will be turned off by a worship album anyway, but it's frustrating as a Christian that good worship music is so hard to find. It shouldn't all be one massive cliche. Makes me that much more thankful for artists like Dustin Kensrue, Citizens & Saints, and Kings Kaleidoscope.
It's so disappointing - Stephen clearly has the talent to create something a bit more creative that pushes the boundaries of worship music a little more... yet he's gone the more generic CCM direction. It makes no sense to me. I have no desire to listen to this album. I never thought I'd write that.
y'all should take a listen to his recent appearance on the Your Favorite Band podcast, apparently the majority of these songs were written to be used by other CCM artists, but he decided to flesh them out himself.
That sounds interesting. I will do. Maybe there's some 'fleshed out' magic under the surface. Thanks for letting me know.
This album is great - stronger than the comments here would imply. A good listen! If you're a Christian and have been a fan of Stephen's previous work, I'd encourage you to listen and make up your own mind!