Margaret Becker

Item: Grace
Author: Susan Anderson

Grace

(1995)

Reviewed by Susan Anderson

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Sparrow RecordsThe LighthouseApril 1995

ccm dance pop pop

Margaret Becker's latest release, Grace, is a pop album with honest and passionate lyrics that touch the heart and move the soul. Becker is one of those rare artists who reaches deep inside of herself to share her faith, struggles, joys and hopes. This album is a glimpse into the heart of a woman who has a passion for God.

Grace, her seventh album, follows in the vein of her last release Soul, but in a slightly more subdued format. The main focus is just what the title says--grace. With her reflections on all that the word means, Becker is setting herself firmly at the top of thoughtful Christian pop. The album opens with "Deep Calling Deep," and it sets the tone nicely. This cut, which is the first single, is a song of longing and desire to be closer to God, "Calling to deeper love/ Calling to higher truth/ Calling to anything that leads me/ Deeper and farther on with You." As the album continues, Margaret maintains her thoughts of drawing closer to God and living in the light of His love that is grace.

This album does not have quite as much kick as her last, but it does get you moving in places. The song "Grace" is one such example. It has a good bass line groove, that makes you want to move your feet and sing along as Becker states "Oh my my, could it be, the best things in life are still free." The next song on the album, "I Trust In You," follows the funky beat of "Grace." Becker, with the help of soulful background vocalist Nicol Smith, sings of trusting in God to lead us, and that we don't always need to know all of the answers. One listen to "Noonday Sun" and you could be humming the chorus for the next couple of hours.

One of the standouts on this album is the song "We May Never." Becker's voice, though nearly flawless throughout the recording, stands out just a bit more on this song. "Only Your Love" is the only song on the album that she did not write or co-write, yet flows with the rest of the album.

The other change on this album is the fact that Tommy Sims produced three of the songs. Charlie Peacock, who handled production on her previous three albums, produced the balance. Sims is no stranger to Becker's music, as he played bass on both Soul and Simple House. His expertise in urban-dance music shines through as he assists Becker in perfecting a dance-pop sound, while the album flows so well that the change in producers is barely noticeable.

Once again Becker has created an album filled with passion and devotion to God. While the music continues to evolve further into the pop arena, it holds the same honesty and truth that has been characteristic of Becker's albums since Never For Nothing was released eight years ago. Always a searching soul, Becker's insightful lyrics reflect both yearning and fulfillment in God's love, a sure mark of grace.