Just this February, Jon Foreman and Judah Akers, the frontmen of two alternative-rock bands, released new solo albums. Foreman continued his saga of solo projects with his album “Departures,” and Akers released a worship album called “7” under his (fully capitalized) first name, JUDAH.
These records are remarkably similar and remarkably refreshing. Both Akers and Foreman are best known for fronting their own bands, Judah and the Lion and Switchfoot, respectively. Neither of these bands consider themselves “Christian bands,” although Switchfoot formerly did. Instead they produce music that is saturated with themes of hope amidst strife and hardship. These solo projects, however, both deal with faith and worship in a more upfront manner. They are both characterized by honest, authentic lyrics, and they feel raw, unfiltered and deeply personal.
There is good Christian music being made, but genuine, rich, creative worship songs and albums are few and far between. The Christian music scene of late has been dominated by generic worship songs that feel mass-produced and duplicitous. Their sound is reminiscent of a Hallmark movie soundtrack, and their lyrics feel canned and thoughtless. This trend feels like a letdown because it is. Music about and for God should be rich. It should be honest and creative, and it should reflect the beauty of its subject. The recent Jon Foreman and JUDAH albums offer a fresh, real perspective on the painful struggles of the human experience and the unmatched hope of the gospel.
Foreman’s “Departures” contains 12 tracks, and they vary widely in their subject matter, mood and musical style. The opening song, “The Ocean Beyond The Sea,” is epic and enchanted. It features a full orchestral sound and feels like a “Lord of the Rings” soundtrack. The lyrics of this song are something like epic poetry, and they depict a hidden world beyond the reaches of our pain-stricken one, where there is life abundant and eternal. Many other songs on “Departures” evoke a similar feeling of deep longing. Track four, “A Place Called Earth,” features Lauren Daigle, and the repeating hook of the song says, “Oh how I long for heaven in a place called earth.”
Another prevalent motif in “Departures” is one of contemplative reflection on the journey that is the human experience. Track five, “Red and Gold,” paints a picture of a California sunset as seen through a windshield, and it contains the refrain, “We’re on our way home.” Foreman powerfully characterizes life in this way as a voyage with the ultimate destination being the home that we long for but that always feels just out of reach. He reinforces this theme with simple, rootsy instrumentation in most tracks, featuring acoustic guitar, harmonica, dressed down vocals, cello, and light drums.
Disarming honesty comes through in the whole of “Departures,” as Foreman does not shy away from tough, unseamly topics in his songs. Instead of blocking out spiritual doubts, he confronts them in track six, titled “Jesus, I Have My Doubts.” The lyrics in this song are sincere, and they put words to many of the buried questions and thoughts that have arisen in the midst of racial injustices, political division, and the global pandemic. Jon Foreman showcases in “Departures” his invaluable gift of beautifully articulating the very real fears, doubts, and longings that are tied into the journey of the human life.
JUDAH’s album “7” is his first solo album, and it is a full-on worship album. Musically, it is loud and bold, featuring an electronic sound with heavy drums and raw, impassioned vocals. The record came as something of a surprise, since Judah and the Lion is not considered a Christian band. It stands to reason that JUDAH’s album thus serves as an especially powerful witness to Christ because so many of his listeners will likely be nonbelievers. This is another factor that sets JUDAH’s music apart from mainstream worship music. Their audience will be almost exclusively Christians, whereas he will be broadcasting the message of the gospel to an audience that has not yet been reached in the same way.
The lyrics in “7” are full of a hope that feels like it is reaching to pull its listeners from their depths of their darkness. This is where it differs from the impersonal music of the contemporary Christian music (CCM) scene. Mainstream CCM songs often feel like listeners have to rise up to their level. JUDAH’s music meets us where we are, just as Jesus meets us where we are. In this way, both “7” and “Departures” more fully reflect the Lord’s beauty.
Track four in JUDAH’s album, “I Am,” is written like a love letter from Jesus Himself. It offers personal encouragement from the vantage point of a loving father, saying that He is with us and He is for us because of who He is. Similarly, the album’s opening track, “Just Because,” features the refrain, “He loves you just because He does.” Several of the seven songs on the album are full of Scripture. Track three, “Fullness of God,” for example, is a meditation on a passage from Ephesians 3.
JUDAH also does not hide from the subject of doubt on his album. Track two is called “I Don’t Know If I Believe It,” and it features Jon Foreman. This song is a recognition that we serve a God that rules over doubt. It features a chorus that says, “I don’t know if I believe it, but somehow I keep falling more in love with you.”
Music is a gift. It can and should be used to bring glory to God and to unify His people. As Christian people, we, if anything, have more of a calling to make excellent music, music that is honest and real. The recent albums by JUDAH and Jon Foreman provide wonderful examples of the power that music can have and the beauty that it should reflect, beauty that originates from Jesus.