I received for my birthday the latest release from Matt Maher. "Echoes" is a worthy addition to his musical canon and here are five short takeaways from the project.
1) The influence of Scripture. You see how Maher's study of Scripture influences his writings. One example - in "The Least of These," Maher draws from Matthew 25. He sings, "I was hungry. I was thirsty. I was weary. You let me in."
2) The influence of classic hymnody. It's a treat to see how "Just As I Am" and "Oh, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" inspire Maher to point the listener to God's grace.
3) "What a Friend" will be a great concert opener. As you listen to the intro you can imagine an arena filled with people on their feet, clapping in rhythm, rejoicing as Maher sings, "What a Friend we have in Jesus, east to west my sins are gone. I see grace in every horizon, and forever and ever His heart is my home."
4) Collaborations. As with previous releases, Maher partners with folks like Chris Tomlin, Mia Fields, Ed Cash, Matt Redman, Laura Story and others. How helpful it must be to be able to bounce ideas off of other talented people.
5) Concise songs. A pet peeve of mine is listening to songs which could have ended after three minutes or so but then drag on for another two to three minutes with a chorus being endlessly repeated or a guitar solo that seems to run on forever. Maher demonstrates that songs can be effective without being repetitive.
Matt Maher gives voice to the feelings of my heart. Seek out "Echoes" and be blessed by its words and music.
