Music Review: See You by Josh Wilson

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Songs and lyrics to help you through the rougher times of life

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: 

A fun pop sound but

Definitely serious

With great reminders

Josh Wilson Looks for God in the Serious Side of Life

On the recommendation of a friend, I picked up Josh Wilson's first CD three years ago.  I immediately feel in love with his fun pop music and mix of fun and serious songs.  Since then, he's released an EP that was more on the serious side.  He's exploring the serious again with his second full length disc, See You.  And I love it.

Don't get me wrong, the fun does still make a couple of appearances.  Most noticeably, it shows up in "Always Only You."  This upbeat song was written for his wife on their first anniversary.  You can't help but smile as he sings about the horrid view from their apartment or how distracted he was the first time they held hands.

The whimsy shows up a little on "Behind the Beauty" as well as Josh describes things that can cause us to have hope.  But he gets serious as he tries to point out the reason behind all the beauty around us, God.  The booklet that comes with the CD provides a rather lengthy list of all the instruments that Josh Wilson played on this disc, and you can definitely hear the hammered dulcimer on this mid-tempo song.

But there's lots of serious stuff here.  The first big single from the disc is "I Refuse."  It's a commitment to go into the world and try to make a difference by sharing God's love in practical ways.  It's a fun soft rock song that will make your toes tap from the very first moment.

There's also a great song about the power of words here.  "Forest Fire" really draws on the analogy from James that compares careless words to a spark that sets an entire forest on fire.  As bulling seems to be a more and more common story these days, it's a very timely reminder.

I'm thinking that Josh or some people close to him have been really struggling recently because most of the songs deal with struggles in life.  "Fall Apart" talks about how we truly get to know God when we seek Him during the hard times in life.  What's amazing about the song is that it is a prayer to know God better while also asking for some relief from the pain.

"Know by Now" has a fun upbeat melody that will make you smile just listening to it.  But the lyrics are so typical of my life.  Josh sings about how easy it is to forget that the God who has helped us through trials before will do so again as soon as the new storm hits.  Ouch.

I was actually surprised to find that the title track was the most serious song on here.  "See You" is a slow piano based ballad that cries out to God asking where he is in the middle of some pretty serious situations.  The first time I heard it, I had just gotten home, and I'm glad I wasn't trying to drive while listening to it because I was tearing up.  The song doesn't offer any answers other than to hold on to Jesus even during the dark days.  Even know, it can still make the tears come.

Rounding out the songs about struggle and faith is "They Just Believe."  Again, it's an honest cry out to God for more faith in the midst of doubts and questions.  It takes lyrics from a few different Bible verses like "I believe/Please help my unbelief" and "You say, blessed are the ones who/Never see/They just believe."

I would classify most of the songs here as mid-tempo or slower.  I already mentioned that "I Refuse" is upbeat.  "Shine on Us" is by far the fastest song here; it's another song that will have you tapping your toes along with it.  Josh is obviously most comfortable with his guitar since that is featured prominently in many of the songs, but the mix of instruments used on this disc keeps all these songs from sounding the same; they really do stand out from each other.  You've got such diverse instruments as organ, mandolin, ukulele, autoharp, accordion, and banjo on here.  And yes, Josh plays them all.  He's very talented.

Speaking of talented, here's a guitar instrumental of the classic hymn "It is Well with My Soul" on here.  It's not quite as good as his "Amazing Grace" rendition, but it is still quite enjoyable.

If all this makes you think that Josh has completely lost his sense of humor, never fear.  He still includes his "Josh Wilson Would Not Like to Thank" section in the CD notes, and it's still a funny collection of random items.

See You represents another leap forward into serious territory for Josh Wilson, and I'm glad I'm along for the ride.  These lyrics really speak to me and remind me of truths I should know by now.  Whether serious or fun, I already can't wait for his next release.

CD Length: 38:00

Tracks:

1. Sing It

2. Behind the Beauty

3. I Refuse

4. Fall Apart

5. Know by Now

6. See You

7. It is Well (Instrumental)

8. Shine on Us

9. Always Only You

10. Forest Fire

11. They Just Believe

12. Sing It (Reprise)