Music Review: This is What We Believe by Aaron Shust

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Worship songs filled with Biblical truths

Cons: Nothing truly new lyrically or musically

The Bottom Line: 

Great new worship songs

Perhaps could have been deeper

But what is here works

Aaron Shust Offers Praise Based on Our Basic Beliefs

For his first CD, Aaron Shust offered a praise and worship focused disc.  His last release was more pop influenced.  And he's back to worship for This Is What We Believe, his fourth release and first on new label Centricity.  I don't normally find myself drawn to pure worship releases, but this one keeps growing on me as I listen to it.

For those who are familiar with core Christian doctrine and have been Christians long enough to learn very many hymns or praise choruses, there is little here that will strike them as new.  In fact, two of the ten tracks are updated versions of classic hymns and the final track is a new song based on John 3:16.  Likewise, the music sticks to guitar and piano with the occasional use of strings or some other instrument.  In fact, this is my only real complaint about the disc.  If you are looking for something original or enlightening, you will definitely be disappointed.

I've been listening to the disc pretty constantly at work the last two days and while driving around town, and the more I've been listening to it, the more it has truly grown on me.  While there may not be anything here I haven't already heard before, the melodies are fun and the truths of the songs are powerful.  I find my spirit uplifted in worship.

The disc opens with the title song, and "This is What We Believe" would make a great statement of faith for any church.  Okay, so it focuses mainly on what the Bible teaches about God.  The lyrics booklet contains scripture references for many of the lines in all the songs, but this song is absolutely full of them.  Every line is a quote or a direct reference to scripture.  That makes it pretty powerful.  It's also an upbeat number that gets us off to a good start.

"My Hope is in You" follows with another upbeat song that is very much about trusting God.  I love Psalm 62, and it is easy to see how influential that Psalm was to this song even without the references in the booklet.  Just look at the first line of the chorus.  "My hope is in You, Lord, all the day long/I won't be shaken by drought of storm."  I wish I could say that was true all the time for me, but it is what I try to return to.

"Your Majesty" offers praise to Jesus for all He has done for us, freeing us from sin and conquering death.  I'd be tempted to call it mid-tempo, but it is more upbeat than it first appears.

Next come the two new versions of hymns.  Like many artists like to do, Aaron has written a new chorus and new melody for the familiar songs.  "Risen Today" is based on Charles Wesley's Easter "Christ the Lord is Risen Today."  It is appropriately celebratory.  My favorite "modern" version is still the one recorded by Scott Wesley Brown almost 30 years ago, but I can much more easily see this one becoming an alternative to the classic version for Easter Sunday church services.

Strings start out the other hymn redo, Philip Bliss' "Sing of My Redeemer."  It's funny these hymns are in this order on the disc since this one focuses on Jesus' redemption of us from sin by dying on the cross.  Personally, I probably would have put them in the other order, but that's a minor issue.  We've got another upbeat version of a classic song, one I will admit I'm not as familiar with.  But if this is the version I come to know better, I won't be complaining.  It's great.

The second half continues to look at God's love for us, with three of the five songs focusing on that.  "We are Free" looks at our security as redeemed children of God and what that means in our lives.  Finally, "Greater is He" reminds us that God is more powerful than Satan or any Earthly power could ever be.

Maybe I've been expecting too much from this disc.  Maybe Aaron was shooting for praise songs filled with familiar truths.  If so, then he hit the mark perfectly.  But those looking to be challenged or convicted of anything will certainly be disappointed.

This Is What We Believe might leave some people disappointed as a result.  But anyone looking for a collection of worship songs to encourage them will absolutely love this disc.

CD Length: 41:25

Tracks:

1. This is What We Believe

2. My Hope is in You

3. Your Majesty

4. Risen Today

5. Sing of My Redeemer

6. Never Been a Greater Love

7. Greater is He

8. Wondrous Love

9. We are Free

10. God So Love the World