Milk & Honey by Crowder
****

Milk & Honey is Crowder’s fourth studio album, and his follow-up to 2018’s I Know a Ghost. Crowder has written that the title Milk & Honey is about promise. The album is a celebration of the future we are marching towards together and a prayer that each of us can live in this promise in the here and now. It features a variety of musical genres, though less of the swamp rock and bluegrass that his previous albums have included. Several of the songs are about Jesus and will soon find themselves into worship services. This is one of my top albums of 2020 thus far.

Below are a few comments about each song:
Good God Almighty – This song was written by Jeff Sojka, Ben Glover and Crowder, and produced by Sojka and Glover. The song has charted high on Christian radio. Crowder describes this song as some good old-fashioned group singing, people singing in harmony. An excellent opening song.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

• More of this review
• Music News
• Song of the Week Lyrics: River of Life by Mac Powell

Key lyrics:
Good God almighty, I hope You’ll find me
Praising Your name no matter what comes
‘Cause I know where I’d be without Your mercy
So I keep praising Your name at the top of my lungs
In the House – This song about the church was written by Jeff Sojka, Ben Glover and Crowder, and produced by Sojka and Glover. The song features banjo, drums, bass, backing vocals and hand claps.
Key lyrics:
Doesn’t matter if you’re rich, you’re poor, whoever you are
This is where we all find grace
He Is – This song about Jesus was written by Hank Bentley, Jeff Pardo and Crowder, and produced by Bentley and Pardo.  The song, which builds throughout, features piano, acoustic guitar, bass, banjo, drums and backing vocals. This would be an excellent song to sing in a worship service.
Key lyrics:
He is hope for the hopeless, rest for the weary
Help for the hurting, He is, He is
Mending the broken, bearing the burdens
All that you’re needing, He is
Milk & Honey – This song was written by Seth Philpott, Hank Bentley and Crowder, and produced by Zach Paradis and Bentley. This song is about heading to the Promised Land. The upbeat song features Crowder’s swamp rock sound, banjo, hand claps, percussion and bass.
Key lyrics:
Choirs will be singing, saints on bended knee
Angels will be dancing, we will all be free
God in all His glory as far as you can see
It’s like every day is Sunday in the land of milk and honey
Higher Power – This song is written by Solomon Olds, Rebecca Olds, Jeff Sojka, Crowder, Hulvey and Ben Glover, and is produced by Glover, Sojka and Solomon Olds. This song about the power of God’s gathered people, features Hulvey on vocals. The high energy song is driven by guitar, drums, bass, a heavy beat and backing vocals.
Key lyrics:
Higher power
We stronger, we louder
Put your robe on we the choir
We champions, throw the flowers
Sweet Jesus – This song was written by Solomon Olds, Rebecca Olds, Jeff Sojka, Crowder and Ben Glover, and produced by Glover and Sojka. The song features, guitar, finger snaps, bass, drums and the excellent backing vocals of Maverick City Music.
Key lyrics:
Say His name, say His name
The name above all names 
God Really Loves Us – This song was written by Jeff Sojka, Crowder, Dante Bowe and Ben Glover, and produced by Glover and Sojka. The song features Dante Bowe and Maverick City Music. The song is driven by piano and builds beautifully with the backing vocals.
Key lyrics:
Hallelujah
We are not alone
God really loves us
Who’s Gonna Stop The King – This worship song was written by Jordan Sapp, Jeff Sojka, Crowder, Colby Wedgeworth and Ben Glover and produced by Glover and Sojka. The song begins with hand claps, and builds, with bass, percussion and backing vocals. No one is going to stop the King.
Key lyrics:
Praise Him, praise Him
Praise the everlasting King
Better Than Sunshine – This song was written by Jeff Sojka, Crowder and Ben Glover and produced by Glover and Sojka. The song about Jesus features acoustic guitar, percussion, bass and backing vocals.
Key lyrics:
My Savior is better
My Jesus is better
His love is forever
Glory, Glory (God Is Able) – This gospel song was written by Ed Cash and Crowder and produced by Ben Glover and Jeff Sojka. The toe-tapping song, which may remind you of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” in parts, features piano, bass, percussion, backing vocals and banjo.
Key lyrics:
I feel better
So much better
Since I laid my burden down
Hallelujah For Every Broken Heart – This song was written by Ed Cash, Crowder and Bear Rinehart of NEEDTOBREATHE, and produced by Ben Glover and Jeff Sojka. Jesus uses all of the pain and hurt in our lives. The song features bass, piano, hand claps and backing vocals.
Key lyrics:
Hallelujah for a broken heart
Hallelujah when I’m falling apart
There’s a sun rising when the sky is dark
I’m singing, hallelujah for a broken heart
The Anchor – This song was written by Tommee Profitt and Crowder and produced by Profitt. The song, about Jesus, features piano, a passionate vocal and builds powerfully with a chorus.
Key lyrics:
He is the anchor
He is the anchor of my soul

Best songs
Good God Almighty
He Is
Milk & Honey
Sweet Jesus
God Really Loves Us
Glory, Glory (God is Able)
The Anchor

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• B.J. Thomas. Singer B.J. Thomas died on May 29 from lung cancer. He recorded several contemporary Christian music albums that I enjoyed around the time I became a Christian. Enjoy “The Unclouded Day” from his 1981 Amazing Grace album.
• Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight). Watch this video of “Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight) from Toby Mac, from the Drive-in Theater Tour 2021.
• I Wanna Remember. Watch NEEDTOBREATHE perform “I Wanna Remember” featuring Carrie Underwood on the CMT Music Awards.
• Psalm 42 (Loudest Praise). Watch the video for “Psalm 42 (Loudest Praise), a new song from Shane and Shane.

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River of Life by Mac Powell 

This week’s song of the week is “River of Life” from Mac Powell, former lead singer of Third Day. You can listen to it here.

[Chorus]
Brothers, sisters, come on down to that river
Guaranteed you’ll never be the same
There’s a fountain flowing from the heart of the Savior
Bring your sins and all your guilty stains
Let that river of life wash it all away
[Verse]
You’ve been searching, carrying burdens
If you’ve been lost and looking for a home
If you’ve been drifting and something is missing
You should know that you are not alone, hey
[Chorus]
Brothers, sisters, come on down to that river
Guaranteed you’ll never be the same
There’s a fountain flowing from the heart of the Savior
Bring your sins and all your guilty stains
Let that river of life wash it all away
[Post-Chorus]
Woah-oh-oh
Come down to the river
Woah-oh-oh
[Bridge]
Come as you are, no time to waste
Open your heart, don’t be afraid
Jump on in, the water is fine
There’s healing in, the river of life
Come as you are, no time to waste
Open your heart, don’t be afraid
Jump on in, the water is fine
There’s healing in, the river of life
[Chorus]
Brothers, sisters, come on down to that river
Guaranteed you’ll never be the same, oh-oh
Brothers, sisters, come on down to that river
Guaranteed you’ll never be the same
There’s a fountain flowing from the heart of the Savior
Bring your sins and all your guilty stains
By the blood of Jesus everything will change
Let that river of life wash it all away
[Post-Chorus]
Woah-oh-oh
Come on down to the river
Woah-oh-oh
Come on down to the river
Woah-oh-oh
Come on down to the river
Woah-oh-oh
Let that river of life wash it all away