Contemporary Christian music group We The Kingdom released their new seven-track album, “Dear Jesus,” two weeks ago on Jan. 30. Past albums of this popular Dove Award-winning band have been characterized by a combination of folk, rock and worship styles, and this one continues to stick to that theme.
The first track, “Don’t Let the Darkness,” features a prominent acoustic guitar and drum set that creates a sound somewhere between early 2000s worship music and new country music. It’s a laid-back track that encourages the listener: “You think you’re lost but then you’re found / Don’t let the darkness get you down.” It focuses on the classic theme of how God is always with you and knows what it’s like to be in a dark place.
The second track, “Let it Be Jesus” starts with a melody that is strongly reminiscent of Bethel Music’s “The Goodness of God.” It has instrumentals and an overall gospel style that feels very much like something that might be sung in chapel. It covers the idea of living like Jesus on this earth, giving gratitude to Him for saving us, and anticipating the day when “We’re gonna go, yеah / To holy shores / We’ll be dancing with Jеsus / Oh, forevermore.”
“Rescue Me” has a strong new country sound and is one of the more upbeat songs on the album. It recalls well-known Bible stories like David and Goliath (“It only took a single stone to drop a Philistine”) and the firey furnace (“In the fire / He is next to me / When the flame is high, I know He will rescue me”) to illustrate that God is faithful to defend His people.
The title track, “Dear Jesus,” begins with a classic soulful country tone. It’s a heartfelt prayer for redemption from the humble point of recognizing one’s own sinfulness. Fittingly, the song concludes with the phrase “Thank You, Lord, for the sinner’s prayer,” expressing gratitude that Jesus can bring about something new and good from a broken life.
From rock bottom, the album bounces to “I Belong to You,” with its airy folk vibe. It has the carefree sound of something you might listen to on a road trip through the mountains. This upbeat track sings of the joy of knowing that even though the Christian might feel out of place in this world, he or she belongs to a loyal God, who will give guidance: “When I come to the end of myself / There’s nobody else I could run to / You’re the rhythm in the sky, my Northern Light / Yeah, I belong to You.” This is probably my favorite track of the whole album.
“Holiness” features Christian worship music icon Chris Tomlin. It carries his characteristic reverent tone and soft piano music, coupled with a bit of We The Kingdom’s trademark folk style. It’s a reverent reflection on the overwhelming goodness and power of God that recalls imagery from biblical descriptions of Heaven’ throne room: “The train of Your robe flows from Your throne / You wear the crown of majesty / I fall on my knees / What could I bring to lay before the King of kings?”
The final track, “Easy,” is a tender call to rest in God’s presence and to “Lay down your troubles / To the giver of life” and it presents the encouragement that even in life’s storms “There’s a lighthouse / In the distance.” It’s geared toward anyone who feels beaten down by rough times in life or is battling anxiety.
If you’ve ever gone to a concert featuring an artist you have heard of but aren’t very familiar with, and then walked away surprised to find that they have some great music you didn’t know about, you have a pretty clear idea of what happened to me. Before listening to this album, the only We The Kingdom songs I was familiar with were the ones that play on Christian radio stations like K-LOVE and my local Life 100.7. Songs like “Holy Water,” “Child of Love,” “Jesus Does,” and “Miracle Power” came to mind, which all have a very similar sound in my opinion. The first two tracks on “Dear Jesus” were like those, but I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of styles and lyrics present in the rest. I hope the radio stations decide to pick up these unique-sounding tracks, so more people like me will get to see more sides to this group’s music.
