Music Review: The Story's Not Over by Jeremy Camp

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong lyrics and (mostly) catchy rock music

Cons: At the edges of the musical style I like (which is a personal con)

The Bottom Line:

Songs of faith and hope

And filled with a great rock beat

For all of his fans

Great New Disc from Jeremy Camp

Somewhere along the way, Jeremy Camp kind of fell off my radar.  Honestly, I’m finding it hard to keep up with Christian music in general these days, but that’s another issue.  Anyway, I have several of his early releases, and, while they never got a lot of play time, I always found a couple of songs that really spoke to me.  As soon as I heard about Jeremy’s new release, The Story’s Not Over, I knew I wanted to get it.  And I’m glad I did.

Listening to the disc, I was reminded of one reason I don’t pull out Jeremy’s discs super often.  His rock style isn’t always something I appreciate.  That’s on me; I get it.  And things like the rap ending from Social Club Misfits on “You Don’t” doesn’t help matters either.  Now, I’m not saying the music is bad.  Please don’t misinterpret it that way at all. It’s just harder rock than I usually enjoy.  He’s built a career with a very loyal fan base, so there are plenty of people who do appreciate it.  I enjoy it is smaller doses, so again, I’m not saying it is bad at all.

But here’s why I am happy I got the disc – there are some great lyrics here.  Most of these songs are great, but some of the songs really stand out to me.  Take the title track.  “The Story’s Not Over” is an upbeat reminder that God is in charge of everything that happens, so when life is hard, we just need to remember that there is more to the story.  It’s got a great beat and melody, and is easily one of the songs from the disc I get stuck in my head.

The other song most likely to get stuck in my head is the last song on the disc.  “Wilderness” is a song of trust during hard times.  “If You’re God in the good, in the Promise land/You’ll be God, God in the wilderness.”  It is one of the slower songs on the disc, but it is still a midtempo upbeat track.  While I feel like it was written in a time of wilderness, it really is a declaration of faith more than a song of struggle, and I absolutely love it.

Honestly, there really are no slow tracks on the disc.  But even so there is enough variety that the songs don’t sound the same as you listen to the disc.

Other topics covered in these songs include recognizing the punishment we deserve for our sins (“Should’ve Been Me”) while also celebrating the new life we have because of Jesus’s sacrifice for us (“Dead Man Walking”).  He reflects on how quickly time goes (“Keep Me in the Moment”).  Another powerful song is “Father,” a song that celebrates how God takes us in our weak, sinful state and loves us anyway.

Jeremy Camp’s fans have really fallen for this disc, and it is easy to see why.  If you love his music, you need to get The Story’s Not Over.  Even if you are a casual fan like me, you’ll enjoy this release.

CD Length: 37:31

Tracks:

1. Only You Can

2. Still Alive

3. Dead Man Walking

4. Should’ve Been Me

5. Father

6. Keep Me in the Moment

7. Out of My Hands

8. The Story’s Not Over

9. Indestructible Soul

10. You Don’t (Featuring Social Club Misfits)

11. Wilderness