A Review - Jimmy Needham's Speak

Album Release Date: August 15, 2006

Rating: 4.5/5

Jimmy Needham has somehow managed to stay fairly below radar since his debut album Speak back in 2006. He has since released his sophomore follow-up which completed the sentence: “Speak,” but “Not Without Love.” Both albums have been met with a decent amount of critical acclaim; even so, Needham’s name is not extremely well known.

This is a tragedy.

Beginning with this little masterpiece of pop/soul, Jimmy Needham has positioned himself as a breath of fresh air in the Christian music scene. With a style that borrows somewhat from Jason Mraz, Gavin DeGraw, and others, he’s created a refreshing sound that blends multiple styles together beautifully.

The true appeal of this album to me, however, is the shear strength of the poetic and potent lyrics. Needham has described this album as “full of challenges to the Church in regards to living holy, sharing the gospel, etc.” Avoiding clichés entirely, he does just this.

The album opens with the upbeat “I Am New,” which begins with these lines:

I cling to the veil to no avail without fail Reaching for the God if Israel in man's jail Wailing on my knees and hands to draw the curtain and stand Thank God for bloody feet and pierced hands

This is not just another Christian album. He follows with “Lost At Sea,” evoking Jason Mraz comparisons while spitting lines such as: "And now I will diligently and not religiously but affectionately come / Before the throne of your grace in this place and seek your face / For all eternity and then some." Don’t gloss over those. There is some serious substance there.

Showing he also has some versatility, Needham also delivers some great slower tunes such as “Dearly Loved” and “Stand On Grace,” which both highlight a strong, unique voice that functions as the platform for the powerful truth of songs perfectly. Other highlights include “For Freedom” and “You Make Me Sing,” which demonstrate the impact of some of Needham’s bluesy influences.

There really isn’t a weak song here. The album closes with an interesting slice of truth called “The Bendiction,” a spoken word track that essentially presents the gospel to religious, self-righteous, modern-day Pharisees and calls them to acknowledge their numerous sins as well as continual and ongoing need for Christ. This guy can bring it:

The front pages of papers of children raped by rapist Iraqi torture chambers and we the blame claim we're blameless Wrong. All. And swelling up inside of us there's this pride in us this arrogance And our only line of defense is the sense that I’m not as half as bad as this friend of mine so I must be fine We mean well don't we? Yet I've never seen good intentions set a man free from hurt. All.

If you’re looking for something fresh, daring, and straying from the status-quo in Christian music, look no further.

Track Listing:

1. I Am New

2. Lost At Sea

3. Fence Riders

4. Dearly Loved

5. For Freedom

6. Speak

7. You Make Me Sing

8. Wake Up

9.We Cry Holy

10. Stand On Grace

11. The Gospel

12. The Benediction
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You can also read this review at The Christian Manifesto.