Track Listing
The backstory
Click here to read Andrew Peterson's blog post on the Rabbit Room to read the backstory! Fans of the singer/songwriter genre might be familiar with Andrew Peterson, who was discovered by Caedmon's Call in 1996. Andrew Peterson was signed on a subsidiary of Essential Records, and later with Centricity Records. In 2008, Andrew Peterson released an album entitled "Resurrection Letters, Vol. 2." 'Wait,' you may be asking. 'Volume Two? When did Volume One release?' Well, it released in 2018. 'Wait! That's this year! What is going on?' When Andrew Peterson released his project in 2008, he felt that this wouldn't be the only release, nor should have it been the first release. On his blog, The Rabbit Room, Andrew Peterson writes, "I had the feeling that there were more about the way Jesus' resurrection plays itself out in our lives than the resurrection itself. What if, I thought, this was part two of a larger work, and part one was specifically about Jesus rising again." Plus, he thought it would be a good marketing scheme. But the years passed and fans continued to ask when the first volume would release. Finally, Andrew Peterson aggreed to Centricity's request to have it ready for a Easter 2018 release. Despite a hectic and busy creative season, Andrew Peterson was able to bless the masses with the missing pieces of the Resurrection Letters. Quick Review:Resurrection Letters: Prologue (EP)
track listing
The album opens up with the upbeat "His Heart Beats." Andrew Peterson said concerning this song, "We don’t know exactly how it all went down, but we do know this: Jesus was dead, and then he wasn’t." In the song he sings, "His heart beats / And everything is changed / ‘Cause the blood that brought us peace with God / Is racing through his veins." Quoting from 1st Corinthians 15:55, "Oh death, where is thy sting," this song is a rejoicing anthem that He Has Risen!!! The next song, "Risen Indeed," retells the story of story of the glorious Easter morning, with everyone discovering that "He is not dead / He is risen, risen indeed." This song is just so beautiful. "Remember Me" is based upon the thief's cry on the cross, "My Lord, remember me / When you come into your kingdom." Ben Shive, the producer of the Resurrection Letters projects and writer of this song, gave a different context to the phrase. It's not just the thief who is not worthy of entering heaven, what about us? What a beautiful song. In regards to the next song, Andrew Peterson said, "In a conversation with a friend a few years ago about why I’m a Christian, my answer boiled down to this: I’ve seen too much. There are too many good and beautiful things, too many stories that cry out for things to be made right, too many lives changed, too much healing, too many examples of humble sacrifice in the face of great evil for there to be no meaning, no bright love on the other side of the veil. That reasoning may fall flat to you, but it’s enough for me." I love how through this album, Andrew Peterson is able to pull things out of scripture and make the applicable for our lives. "I've Seen Too Much" is another wonderful, great song to listen too! "Remember And Proclaim" is a song that makes it sound like we're taking communion as we're singing the song, which is very cool! Andrew Peterson aimed to write a "happy" communion song, and he delivered as he touched upon remembering and proclaiming "Christ has died and risen / Christ will come again." "Maybe Next Year" is a touching and hopeful song based upon Andrew Peterson's visit to the Western Wall. This is a song hoping and waiting for the day that Jesus will take us home. "And we’ll meet in the New Jerusalem someday / Maybe next year." Oh my word, "Rise Up" is so beautiful!!! This song is related to how the Lord will defend the helpless and will protect us. Also it compares the idea that just as the Lord rose from the grave, he will rise us up from the darkest part. "I know the night is cruel / But the day is coming soon / When you will rise up in the end." "Is He Worthy" utilizes a choir, as this song is representative of Revelation 5 asking, "Is anyone worthy? / Is anyone whole? / Is anyone able / To break the seal / And to open the scroll?" When you picture this song as sung in heaven, it has a very beautiful sound to it. This song is pure praise to the Lord. For the final song, "All Things Together," Andrew Peterson had this to say: "This whole thing—and by that I mean all of creation, from the outermost galaxies to my kitchen table—swirls around a Jewish man from the first century. . . . My hope, most of all, is that by the time you get to this song on the record, you have been reminded of his great power and love, and that you would confess that he is Lord, not just of your life, but of the cosmos. That’s it." Amen, He does hold all things together. What a beautiful and reflective ending to the end of the album I honestly didn't think much of the album the first time I listened through it, though I did feel like that there were gems in the album that I wasn't aware of. Praise the Lord that this was a review copy, so I was forced to listen to the album over and over. After repeated listens, I have been able to dig out so many beautiful gems. I love how this album takes aspects from the Bible and applies them to our lives without sounding post-modernistic (such as bands like RED). Another aspect of this album I love so much is that it is so Biblical! I cannot remember the last album I listened to that had so much scripture embedded throughout it. The Word of God is powerful, and it shows through this album. For those who love singer/songwriters, this album is a MUST for you. If you are tired of the current pop sound, then this may be a refreshment to your ears. And if you're looking for a solid Easter album, then you must check this album out. There will be a few who may not look as favorably to this album, but should at least give it a shot. Quick Review:Resurrection Letters, Vol. 2
Track Listing
Comments
|
watch these videos! |