Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Born out of the death of his father, experienced Canadian singer/songwriter Matt Maher's latest release gets the deluxe edition treatment with a generous and uplifting 16 tracks offering up the certain hope that God is with us in our trials. If you read Tony Cummings' fascinating interview with the man at the turn of the year, you'll know that Maher takes his theology seriously and this is certainly reflected in his songwriting with tracks like "Picket Sign", "The Cross Forever Speaks" and the reflective "Your Love Defends Me" all communicating the impact of having a real and living relationship with the creator of the universe with intelligence, wisdom and depth. Maher and his fairly large production team cover a lot of ground stylistically with Mumfordesque stompers like "What A Friend" sitting comfortably next to the anthemic "Just As I Am" whilst more straightforward worship fare such as "Awake My Soul (A Thousand Tongues)" pepper an already varied release. Vocally, Maher never puts a foot wrong and there are some genuinely stirring moments on account of the passion and fragile strength of his performance coupled with his ability to write words that reach deep into the heart of the listener. A cameo from Bethel Music's Steffany Gretzinger on the rousing "Faithfulness" and a solo piano version of the aforementioned "Your Love Defends Me" round off yet another solid release from an artist at the top of his game.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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