A few years ago I happened upon Jason Upton's second album, Faith. It was
unlike any other worship album I had listened to. The instrumentals were
amazing--violin and keyboards amongst a mostly acoustic rock bed. The
greatest part, though, was Upton's unbridled passion for music and his
passion for drawing closer to the heart of God. Many of his songs ran over
seven or eight minutes because God's Spirit just kept flowing. Although I
have not yet had a chance to explore more of the world of Jason Upton, one
of our other staff recently reviewed their latest disc, Touching The Angels.
Enjoy her review below.

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TOUCHING THE ANGELS - JASON UPTON (2004)
by Hollie Stewart

When faith is defined as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence
of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1), the person of faith must learn the lesson
of trust. Trusting the unseen (in a world where seeing is believing) is the
ultimate fallacy of man's kingdom. Yet in the heavenly kingdom, one cannot
walk with God without trusting Him. Jason Upton is a man who has come to
terms with this elementary lesson. His newest offering, Trusting the Angels,
delivers a much-needed message to the body of Christ. For while trusting Him
with our entire being is rudimentary in nature, we hardly know what it means
to completely surrender control and allow Him to take charge of our lives.

Because children can understand trust more than anyone else, Upton explores
their world in song form. He finds inspiration from his own two children to
create songs like "Emma (Not Alone)" and "When It Thunders." After a
soothing intro of digitally-delayed guitar, recorder, and violin, "Emma"
begins with the words, "Don't be afraid, baby, don't you cry / Daddy's here,
it will be alright / You're not alone." A song of comfort to a newborn
daughter turns into God Himself singing over his scared children: "Don't be
afraid of your blind belief / Because the more you fly, the more you'll see
/ You're not alone / ...Look beyond what you can see / Close your eyes and
just believe." The peaceful beginning gives way to an up-beat tempo, where
keyboards and drums add to the already refreshing sound. Upton's voice even
changes from soft crooning to a passionate cry, reflecting the Father's own
passion for us to understand that we are never alone, even when we can't
conceptualize our world. "When It Thunders" shows Upton singing to his son
Samuel "So I need for you to know, wherever I go / God is in control, and
you are in His arms." Even when those we love leave, we can hold onto a God
who will never leave; in every place of suffering we can reach out and find
a God worth worshiping ("Face of Time (Song of the Pearl)"). He calls
constantly, wanting us to come to Him in complete trust and receive all He
has to pour upon us ("Where Fools Turn to Gold").

Upton admits the hardship of trusting in the unseen. And yet God can be
"seen" in our world if we allow Him to work within it. The signs simply
differ from what we're trained to observe with our natural sight. In "Cloud
by Day," he admits, "It may seem strange, but I know it's right / I'll keep
moving on." Faith in Jesus Christ is foolishness to many non-believers, but
when we as believers take time to listen, we know that this is the path of
life. "One of These Days," a song of jubilation in both sound and lyrics,
says, "Some say that I'm only dreaming / And that this can't be true / But
my faith has only been increasing / Since the day that I met you." The
ultimate contrast between faith and sight appears in the title track. It
includes the same passion as "Emma"; not only are we not alone, but also we
have no reason to be afraid while trusting Him. Upton compares himself to a
penniless bird with tiny wings, and while that status would cause many to
fear, he refuses to be anything but secure in His Father's arms: "Hiding
here in Your shadow / Riding under Your wings / Flying, trusting the angels
/ Living in Your covering / I'm not afraid." The song ends with a calm
whistle and bird chirps, reminding the listener that just as the sparrows
fly without a care, we can do the same when we're living in His presence.

Upton shows throughout this album that God has done all He can to win our
trust. Now it is on our shoulders to fling our all upon the steady Rock.
This idea culminates in the final track, "Is There Room." Upton takes the
Christmas story and twists it ever so slightly. Mary is asked if there is
room in her womb for the Christ, just as the innkeeper is questioned. We are
individually asked the same: "Is there room in our world / For a new word
today / A holy child from God's right hand / Is a holy word from God to man
/ But is there room / Is there room for a child." The violin reflects the
sorrowful cry of Upton's vocals, and all the instruments beseech the
listener on behalf of the Father. They cry, "Can you hear the sweet melody
from heaven?" Can we hear God pleading for our whole hearts?

Trusting the Angels is a twist from traditional worship albums. The majority
of the songs show God singing to us, not us singing to God. I believe it's
because we need to be reminded once again of how much God loves us. Rather
than singing a declaration of our heart, we need to hear how much He adores
us, for we love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). When we can
fully rest in His love, we can fully give Him our trust. If you're like me
and in need of this timely reminder, this will end up being a treasured
favorite in your worship collection.

Find out more about Jason Upton at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/worship/jasonupton


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