That’s my favorite hymn on my favorite Chris Rice album. I went to college with Chris. I haven’t seen him in years, but I remember him fondly. I remember him lugging a guitar around and singing songs like Because He Lives and El Shaddai. I also remember he was already writing his own songs. Back then he and a friend did the music for a lot of revivals and youth conferences.
I hope he decides to do more hymn albums. I’m not a fan of contemporary christian, so to find these hymns was a rare gift for me.
I sort of go against the flow, music wise. For me, simpler is better, but I like strong melody. I love old music from the early sixties (British INvasion) doo-op, and raw tapes of great singers just singing. Your friend has such a gift for a strong vocal that’s not florid. And he puts in such emotion without warbling up and down the scale like a goat. (One of my pet peeves about today’s music.)
I sound so critical, I guess. But I really like these hymns. My favorite old hymn is How Firm a Foundation. That has such strong meaning for me. People think of it as an old song but it is so strong and relevant today:
“The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”