If you have spent any time around Contemporary Christian Music during the 2010’s you are most likely familiar with John Mark McMillan’s signature song “How He Loves”, a song written after the tragic passing of a close friend. Chances are though you probably heard someone else covering it rather than his original version (for some reason everyone gets all uptight when you include “sloppy wet kiss” in your worship song). Because of this JMM has forever been branded as a worship artist, for better or worse. If he is indeed a worship artist, then he takes more after the King David than Chris Tomlin.
Over a decade after “How He Loves” McMillan appeared to have a crisis of faith. Between severe anxiety and a western version of Christianity that seemed less and less like God, it’s really quite easy to understand. So, he wrote about it, how God is so much different than what he feels like he’s been chasing all his life, how the more he tries to control things, the more they spin out of control. Through it all he wrote about the disconnect between Godliness and the life he thought he wanted, and about just wanting to be closer to God. Individual songs demonstrate McMillan’s ability to merge a thinking man’s singer songwriter song with the modern worship genre. Some highlights include “Mercury & Lightning”, which uses the Greek god mercury as a metaphor for chasing your own satisfaction, “God’s of American Success”, a biting criticism of how capitalism has invaded church theology and the hauntingly beautiful “Death in Reverse”, which include the great lyrics “Then I build my life around, someone who I thought that I was, but it turns out, all the things I do to feel young, they only make me old”. But it’s really the complete album that tells the full story and I highly recommend listening front to back a couple times. To say I think this album is good would be underselling it. Between the synths, pounding drums, and lyrics that could be gone over for days, it’s something special. This album proves to me that art is not dead, particularly art made by people looking through a Biblical lens. This album is honest and raw in a way a lot of Christian artists are afraid to be and looks toward redemption in a way a lot of other artists can’t seem to find. Suggested Tracks: Mercury & Lightning Gods of American Success Death In Reverse Magic Mirror
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