Take Over

Brash Music

2006 songwriter and new artist of year, Aaron Shust comes out strong with his more collaborative third album. At the first cursory listen, nothing seemed to jump out in this album as the next hit song or worship song. But after I sat down and read the lyrics to the songs and let the music do its work, I realized that the complete body of this CD has much to offer the church and music lovers. It is stripped down to the essential instruments and comes through strong as both classic and contemporary.
 
The lyrics are clear and straightforward, and have me singing along (which is the point of a good song). There is no confusing to whom he is speaking about, either.  No, not a girlfriend, the neighbor or some higher power greater then oneself. Shust speaks very clearly about Jesus and His attributes.  "When everything is Beautiful" has lyrics ripped right from Isaiah 1:18 with such a sweet bridge—"I'm alive with the hope of a brand new day"—that I could envision the congregation singing a few more times than the two Shust does.
 
Because of the sparse instrumentation, these tracks musically don't experiment off the beaten path. Shust's strength is that he makes music that can be appreciated by all—he doesn't alienate those of different musical tastes. There are a couple of nice rockers in "Come and Save Us" and "Still You Love Me" that would be great, full-band worship openers. The majority of his songs are great multi-generational songs of worship and contemplation, and could even be used for times of study.
 
Give this album a spin. Then sit down with your worship team and work through a few of these for your congregation to sing along. 

How to get this resource

This CD is available at your local Christian bookstore, or at your favorite online CD retailer.

Reviewed by Joseph R. Fehlen, pastor, South Everett Foursquare in Everett, Wash.