Music Review: Great God Who Saves by Laura Story

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun worship songs with great lyrics

Cons: Music is a little simple

The Bottom Line:

Laura starts singing

Lyrics that lead in worship

With fun melodies

Simple but Worshipful Debut

Odds are even if you've never heard of Laura Story, you are a fan of one of her songs.  "Indescribable," the song made famous by Chris Tomlin, was actually written by Laura.  Great God Who Saves is Laura's solo debut, and it is a good intro to her music.

With one exception, Laura wrote or co-wrote every song on this disc.  She is a gifted worship song writer because there are several great tracks here.

The disc starts things out with the upbeat "Bless the Lord."  It's a good song of praise for who God is and what He does since He is always working for our good.

I was in the choir at my church for a little bit, and the first song we did after I joined was "Immortal, Invisible."  I wasn't even aware it was one of Laura's songs, but I was really glad to get it here.  This is not a new version of the classic hymn with the same name, but instead a completely new song with those words in it.  The song looks at those two attributes of God, how they define Him, and how he has broken them when He became man for us in the form of Jesus.  The mid-tempo song has a catch melody which I enjoy even more now that I don't have to sing harmony on it.

And yes, Laura does do her song "Indescribable."  I love this song that reminds us just exactly who the God we worship is via a look at His creation.  This is a more quiet and understated version than Chris Tomlin did, but fans of the song will like it.

"Great God Who Saves" marvels at God saves us and we can turn to Him during the trials of life.  Again, it's upbeat and fun, but the lyrics are wonderful.

"Grace" is easily my favorite in the second half of the disc as Laura sings about God's unconditional and unending grace.  The fact that God will continue to help us with our struggle in sin as we seek His face is truly amazing.  She must love the song, too, since she rerecorded it for her newest release, God of Every Story. 

The one song that Laura didn't have a hand in writing is "Might to Save."  I really like this praise chorus, so I don’t mind her covering it here at all.  It is a good version of the song, although there isn't anything to set it apart from other recordings.

And that is the one complaint I have about the disc.  The music, while good, is limited.  The songs are keyboard and drum heavy with some guitar thrown in on other songs.  Fortunately, the various tempos help keep the songs from running together.  I have a feeling that the budget for the CD was limited (although I have nothing to back that up with.)  Because the lyrics are so good, this is a minor issue overall; I really do enjoy this disc.

Since I'm not a big fan of buying worship music, I've been slow to jump on the Laura Story bandwagon.  Great God Who Saves has already been out for several years, but I'm glad I finally bought it so I can enjoy it for some time to come.

CD Length: 38:41

Tracks:

1. Bless the Lord

2. Immortal, Invisible

3. Mighty to Save

4. Indescribable

5. Great God Who Saves

6. There is Nothing

7. Make Something Beautiful

8. Grace

9. I Think of You

10. Perfect Peace