Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Many of the songs are lyrically powerful.
Cons: I don't connect
to a few of the songs.
The Bottom Line:
Encourage, challenge
Like only Casting Crowns can
'Nother good release
Casting Crowns has always had a mix of original worship
songs and songs aimed to challenge and encourage Christians on their
releases. Their last release was just
worship songs, and it left me unimpressed.
They are back to that mix with Come To The Well, and it mostly works.
They had the pleasure of recording the title track for the
recent Christian movie Courageous, and it opens the disc here. It's a call to stand up for what we believe
in unapologetically and lead those around us.
It's a nice upbeat opener that sounds like classic Casting Crowns.
When Casting Crowns is on target, they have songs that catch
me from the first listen and continue to speak to me much later. There are three of those here. My favorite is "Already There," a
song that gives us perspective on the trials of life and reminds us to trust
God. Yes, trusting God, one theme I
always seem to love. But the lyrics here
are some of the best I've heard on the subject.
"When I'm lost in the mystery/To You my future is a memory/'Cause
You're already there." Musically,
it's a typical Casting Crowns up tempo track with driving drums and piano.
The rockiest I think I've ever heard them get is "My
Own Worst Enemy." Electric guitar
forms the base for this fast paced song about the struggle to live for God when
our sin nature is so powerful.
Then there's the extended analogy of "City on the
Hill." The song is a quieter ballad
about a community that falls apart because people stopped respecting and
listening to their differences and instead turned on each other. The strings on this one are especially
beautiful.
Speaking of analogies, there's "Spirit Wind,"
which applies the story from Ezekiel of a valley of dry bones to a spiritually
dead church. It sounds to me like there
are some banjos in this number. It's a
fun song musically, but it will also challenge you.
Another song of challenge is "Jesus, Friend of
Sinners." The message of the song
is that Christian are often so fast to condemn sin that we turn people away
from Jesus. It even calls to find the
title that the religious leaders of His day gave him, friend of sinners. I'm still not sure what I think of this one
because they have a good point - if we are quick to call out sin and we are
harsh about it, that will indeed just turn people off from what we are trying to
say. However, Jesus never backed down
from calling sin what it is. There's a
very tricky balance between the two extremes, and this one seems to call for
ignoring the sin we see around us, which is exactly the opposite problem. As I said, I'm still struggling through the
lyrics and what I think of this song.
Frankly, I think that's a good thing.
But there are three songs on here I'm not crazy about. I am sure others will love these songs. "Just Another Birthday" is written
from the perspective of a woman whose father abandoned her and spent much of
her life looking for someone to fill that void.
Mark Hall steps back from lead singer duties on this one, letting one of
the women in the group take over. It's a
nice song, and I'm sure it will minister to many people out there. It's just that I'm not in the target audience
and it does nothing for me. Again, not a
problem with the song, just a problem of me not connecting to it. I really do see this becoming an anthem for
many women.
Next up is "Wedding Day." It is built around the analogy of the second
coming of Jesus as the bridegroom coming for His bride. It's a good song, but again it does nothing
for me.
Finally, there's the love song "Angel." It's a cute song about young love as
experienced by Mark Hall. It feels a
little out of place on a Casting Crowns CD.
While I don't mind it that much, I tire of it quickly.
There is more good than bad in this disc. While not my favorite Casting Crowns CD, it
does feature several good challenges and reminders that make me think. For that reason, Come To The Well is worth
getting.
CD Length: 53:13
Tracks:
1. Courageous
2. City on the Hill
3. Jesus, Friend of Sinners
4. Already There
5. The Well
6. Spirit Wind
7. Just Another Birthday
8. Wedding Day
9. Angel
10. My Own Worst Enemy
11. Face Down
12. So Far to Find You
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