- Grow
- Fly Away
- When You Come Back
- Small
- The Pretty & the Plain
- Tonight
- Why Is It Colder
- Where I Land
- Little Things
- You Tell Me So
- Have Mercy on Me
- When You Come Back (reprise)
Why is it that the folk genre continually seems to have the smartest songwriting in Christian music? Does the acoustic sound better lend itself to introspective outpourings? Or is it more that folk music isn't bound by the marketing conventions of radio friendly pop music? Whatever the reason, intelligently written folk remains consistent in Christian music, particularly among a Nashville-based community of talented artists who excel at articulating their faith through song. And now they have one more.
JJ Heller debuted in 2004 and gained attention with the well-received
Heller's songwriting covers a broad range of subjects, from the playful, Feist-sounding "Grow" with its cloud metaphor for pouring out our emotions, to the gentle Jewel-styled ballad about the "Little Things" we do that change the world for good. The title track is a thoughtfully written reminder that Christ came for all of us; written from Mary Magdelene's perspective. "You Tell Me So" takes inspiration from the familiar children's hymn to extol Jesus' love for us, while "Have Mercy on Me" serves as an intimate, prayerful confession. Heller also celebrates the love in her marriage with the wedding night dance of "Tonight" and the tender "Where I Land."
The musicianship and personable songwriting is good all around, but