Wayne Watson has written numerous good songs, some of them having a melody as terrific as that in “For Such a Time as This”, a rousing, inspirational Christian song sung by Watson in his usual earnest style.  The voice of Canadian folkie Bruce Cockburn is not as pleasant as Watson’s, but his “Lord of the Starfields” has a very nice spare sound and a savory lyric (“Oh love that fires the sun / Keep me burning”).

For a faster tempo there is the great rock tune, “Flood,” by the talented Jars of Clay.  Driven by a fierce guitar, it features classical strings in its bridge and a wide range of moods.  It’s every bit as enjoyably urgent as, say, Foreigner’s “Seventeen.”

Debby Boone provides a decent vocal for “The Name Above All Names,” a big ballad from the ’80s with a splendid chorus—indeed, a splendid melody—and the sunniest Christian certitude in its finish.  Equally fine is the Michelle Tumes song, “Hold On” (not “Hold On to Jesus,” another Tumes track).  Granted, the words aren’t very impressive but the catchy, breezy music and the utterly beautiful bridge are.  As for Tumes’s singing, it’s nicely feminine and Enya-like.

Fun and reverent, these.

Debby Boone

Cover of Debby Boone