Music Review: Nothing to Fear by Aaron Shust

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Many strong tracks

Con: “Death is Not the End”

The Bottom Line:

Aaron Shust is back

Offering more praise, worship

I will sing along

Aaron Shust Fans Have Nothing to Fear – This is Another Strong Release

Aaron Shust represents a departure from my normal music choices.  He’s mostly a praise and worship artist, and I tend to stick to the pop and soft rock sides of the Christian market.  However, I definitely enjoy his releases, so I make sure I get everyone.  He’s just released Nothing to Fear, and it’s another strong disc.

After a brief intro, Aaron launches into “Your Word,” a song taken from Psalm 119.  It’s a nice mid-tempo track to start us off.  Definitely one of the more fun songs on the disc is “None Like You.”  It’s got a hint of Jewish music flavor, and I just love it.

Speaking of which, there’s “Zion.”  This is definitely a song with Jewish roots as it relates God’s promises to His chosen people.  It’s a great song that reminds us just how much God loves and cares for all His people.  As a bonus track, we get a recording of Aaron singing it live in Israel.  It’s nice to have, but I’m not completely sure we needed it twice on one disc.  Still, with twelve tracks, it’s definitely easy to count this as a bonus song.

For me, the biggest misstep on the disc is “Death is Not the End.”  I certainly agree with the premise – because of the hope we have in Christ, we know there is something beyond death.  I was even reminded about other songs I do love with similar themes.  However, this one just doesn’t work for me.  I think it might be the simple lyrics coupled with the slow music.  This is definitely the slowest song on the disc, and that helps make the song very depressing, the opposite of the message of the song.

But the rest of the tracks are great.  We get reminders that Jesus is the “Savior of the World,” a song about the “Rest” we find in God, and a prayer for Him to “Heal Our Land.”  We certainly need that last one, don’t we?  We even get a new recording of the classic hymn “Just As I Am.”  The themes may not be anything new, but the lyrics are strong and point our hearts and minds to God.

In the past, I’ve found that some of Aaron’s discs tend to blend together for me as all the songs sound the same.  That’s not the case here.  Each one is distinct enough to keep my attention as I am listening.  Yes, it’s mostly modern praise and worship, and fans of the genre won’t find many surprises here.  But then again, if the purpose is to lift our focus to God, then the music shouldn’t be getting in the way of us singing along, right?

Nothing to Fear is a release that Aaron Shusts’s fans will enjoy.  I know I’ll be listening to and singing these songs for years to come.

Length: 49:26

Tracks:

1. Intro

2. Your Word

3. None Like You

4. More Than Welcome

5. Savior of the World

6. This I Know

7. Zion

8. Rest

9. Death is Not the End

10. Heal Our Land

11. Just As I Am

12. Bonus: Zion (Live from Jerusalem)