Music Review: Disorder by Jason Gray

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: 6 new songs for when trouble comes

Cons: All cons too disordered to identify

The Bottom Line:

Songs for disorder

Facing pain, offering hope

Wonderful music

Finding God in Disorder

When Jason Gray hit upon the idea of releasing three EP’s around the theme of Order, Disorder, Reorder, he could not have foreseen what the world would be facing now.  The release date for part two, Disorder, was set months ago (like the middle of last year) to come out the second half of March 2020.  Our world is certainly facing disorder right now, which makes the truths of these songs so timely.

The idea behind these three releases is that God uses a cycle of order, disorder, and then reorder to grow us and mature us.  The songs on each release focus on one of those times in our lives, and, as I said, we are now in the second part of the cycle.

This start off with a bit of an ominous note in the opening moments of “Through,” but the song quickly reminds us about Who it is who is going to get us through the mountains that we are facing.  The song acknowledges that the hard times will be painful, but our focus needs to be on God.  It’s got a driving beat that makes you want to take on those mountains that God will help us through.

Next up is “Remind Me You’re Here,” a radio friendly song that is a prayer of simple faith while begging for God’s presence in the pain.  It struggles a bit with the whys, but ultimately goes back to “I won’t ask you for a reason/’Cause reasons can’t wipe away tears.”  That’s something I need to remember in my life more often than I care to admit.

“Honesty” is the perfect title for the next song.  This song takes a cue for the many psalms David wrote that express his pain and hurt.  The opening lines of the song perfectly capture the balance the lyrics walk.  “If I told you I still trust You/I’d honestly be lying through my teeth/But it’s funny how it’s always You/I’m talking to when I say I don’t believe.”  That’s some honesty for myself right there.  As Jason asks in the chorus, “Are You sure you want everything/Even my honesty?”  If this was a dark song musically, I’m not sure it would work so well, but the melody and mid-tempo beat help offset the darker tone of the lyrics.

“Fight for You” is the truth we need when our life is in Disorder.  It’s the reminder that God fights for us no matter what we are facing, so we need to wait on Him.

Bianca joins Jason on “New Song.”  We are definitely moving through the valley to hope as we look for God’s new mercies that come every morning.  This is a toe tapping, head bobbing number.

This EP ends with “Hard Times Prelude.”  A teaser of sorts, it’s only about a minute long.  I have a feeling we will get a longer version of the song on Reorder since the lyrics here are a reflection on the growth that happens through the hard times.

All of these lyrics are combined perfectly with Jason’s soft rock style.  They are easy to listen to as the truths of the lyrics encourage your heart.

The disc really does divide nicely in two, expressing the pain and reminding us of the truths we need when we are facing Disorder.  The combination works well.  There is not a weak track on this disc.  I’ve always enjoyed Jason’s music, but with this cycle of EP’s, he seems to have reached a new level with his song writing.

I’ve put this disc on repeat and listened to it for hours at a time since I got it.  Even when life once again moves beyond this particular Disorder, I will be savoring the songs here.  If you need some encouragement in your life, I highly recommend you check out this release.

CD Length: 20:42

Tracks:

1. Through

2. Remind Me You’re Here

3. Honesty

4. Fight for You

5. New Song (Featuring Bianca)

6. Hard Time Prelude