Any lingering notion that Christian rock lacks grit and bite is dispelled by Trevor Morgan’s The Blessed and the Broken. Co-produced by Third Day’s Mac Powell, this song collection invites comparisons with Tom Petty and the Allman Brothers in its guitar-propelled drive and working-class attitude. Morgan writes from a solidly faith-based perspective without sliding into easy sermonizing or by-rote alter calls. Tracks like “Easy,” “Everybody Needs Somebody” and “I Know You” are smart slices of roots-rock, built upon Morgan’s burly vocals and rousing guitar work. The album’s populist attitude gets its fullest expression in “Jesus Rides The Subway,” a conscience-prodding tune that vividly portrays Christ traveling among the humble and wounded “while the pretty people sleep.” Scripture-based songs like “Psalm 23” and “Light of the World” frame timeless words within simple, uplifting pop/rock forms, while “The Invitation” favors the intimate over the grandiose in its worshipful message. Morgan closes with “Hurricane,” an acoustic-centered number with a distinctly Southern feel.
More By Trevor Morgan
- 2015
- Third Day
- Tenth Avenue North
- Various Artists
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- Revive