“You’ve awakened me to Your beauty, And I know Your peace that surpasses everything I knew and understood before. And I trust your hand, the Grass withers and the flowers fade, but You have made them so they bloom again. And though it may seem dark in the dead of night, You are with me to the dawn.”
“Your light illumines all that was darkness, The dirt has been washed away. The darkness put off for the day.”
~Your Light Illumines, Shelly Moore Band
It is rare in our day to find new Christian music that is both lyrically rich and musically excellent with a unique, stand-out sound. The Shelly Moore Band, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, has effectively combined all of these elements to make a refreshingly worshipful and God-glorifying album. Honest, thoughtful, and compelling. Shelly Moore’s voice is reminicent of Jennifer Knapp, accompanied by the intricate acoustic guitar riffs of Mike Passaro and the well-placed drums of Joel Cameron.
I am most impressed by the theologically sound lyrics of the band’s latest album, Hope and Decay. This is the band’s second release, the first being a self-titled album in 2004 (both are currently available on iTunes). It is obvious that the band has rooted their approach to song-writing in the Scriptures, and creatively tell the story of grace, redemption, and forgiveness. Tracks 2 (Your Light Illumines) and 3 (Whisper) are my favorite on the album. Whisper expresses the sinful reality of our wayward hearts: “You’re not the God we made, You’re not the God we would create. If left to our own choosing, we’d worship our own way. Pennies in our pockets would bring us to our graves.” Honestly and compellingly, Whisper pleads for the clarity of the voice of God: “Running from You like a thief, who stole Your bride and counts her free. Convict us in the night of things we thought unseen, teach us to discern Your voice. And listen carefully. There is so much noise. So much noise. Where is Your voice?”
Track 8, Jesus, I come, is a fantastic arrangement of the 1887 hymn by William T. Sleeper. The album ends on a note of praise (track 10, Without Words), proclaiming the majesty of God in general revelation: “The sun is rising in the sky, declaring without words that You are high, high and exalted and night to night, You are worthy.”
Visit shellymooreband.com and get a sampling of this great album. You can also visit the band on Myspace and Facebook.
http://reformingstudents.com/2008/09/22/shelly-moore-band-hope-and-decay/
