FamilyFans Music
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Awakening
Gersh /
Spring Hill Music Group
It’s
rare that a debut album shines with the polish of a seasoned veteran, but
Gersh’s Awakening manages to pull that off. The reason? “Gersh” is
really “the artist formerly known as Mark Gersmehl”—i.e. a founding
members/songwriter of platinum-selling CCM pioneers, White Heart. Now a solo
artist, Gersh’s new CD doesn’t have the same rock-n-roll edge that White
Heart had, but it does deliver strong pop melodies akin to artists like Geoff
Moore and Rich Mullins.
The
first attention-grabber here is “Shoes,” a smoldering prayer for help to
“walk the talk” and act out Christ’s love instead of just jabbering about
it. “Only” is also worthy of noticing. This haunting worship tune is made
all the more arresting by the clear-bell background vocals of Brynn Gershmel and
the intimacy of the lyrics. Other highlights include the gentle
adult-contemporary praise of “Coming Home” and “Raise Me Up.”
In all, Awakening—and
Gersh—are both AC/pop winners.
—Mike
Nappa
FAMILYFANS RATING: B+
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