Michael James

Item: Where Love Runs Deep
Author: Vanessa Crooks

Where Love Runs Deep

(1995)

Reviewed by Vanessa Crooks

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Reunion RecordsThe LighthouseJune 1995

ccm country roots rock

At the recent Academy of Country Music awards, Garth Brooks declared that he felt country music owed its current popularity to the fact that, more than any other brand of music, country music has heart. Certainly, there is some truth to his statement. Country music often relates tales of ordinary people dealing with the demands of both day-to-day and family life. At the forefront of the Christian segment of the country music genre is Michael James, who has just released his third project, Where Love Runs Deep. On this album, James further cements his reputation as an artist who addresses the special needs and struggles of families--in particular the men of the Church. Mixed in are songs of exhortation, worship, and encouragement for the Body at large.

Where Love Runs Deep opens with "I Hear the Call," a song written by well-known Nashville songwriter Tony Arata (who wrote "The Dance" for Garth Brooks). It proclaims the songwriter's desire to forsake "my" all to serve another, while urging the listener to be like Christ, who came, not to be served, but to serve. "One of These Days" and "A Promise to Keep" fall squarely in the Paul Overstreet school of songwriting--speaking directly to fathers and husbands, respectively. The former paints a portrait of a son who has grown up with a lot of regrets, resentment, and bitterness, stemming from his dad's unwillingness to share time, love, or affection. The song encourages victims of neglect to find forgiveness and healing by sharing their feelings and hurts, while challenging young fathers to seize the moment and nurture their children before they grow up. James wrote "A Promise to Keep" not only for his wife, but also to communicate the hope and vision of the national organization, Promise Keepers. Quoting James, "In our marriages we have made vows to our spouses that are not to be broken. 'A Promise to Keep' communicates that, in general, we men are not always the best at verbally communicating how we feel about our wives but we need to let them see and hear our hearts." James is a gifted songwriter and communicator who delves deep into his own journey with God, and his experience as husband and father. The Body is edified by his honesty and example.

Set apart not only for the quality of his lyrics, but also by his ability to match just the right melody to each song, Where Love Runs Deep is another solid effort by Michael James. Fitting in with today's brand of country, James offers tunes which combine country's traditional rootsy style with flavors from contemporary pop and light rock as well. Those who enjoyed the country tinges on Susan Ashton's latest, Gary Chapman's The Light Inside, or Songs from the Loft (on which James participated) may find a new favorite to cruise to this summer. Possessing a high and lonesome-sounding voice which bears a slight similarity to Vince Gill's, James can drive both plaintive ballads and rousing Texas rockers. And perhaps more than either of his two earlier projects, this seems to have just the right balance of the two--plaintive and rousing.

They say that the truest art comes from the fabric of everyday life. Bearing that in mind, Michael James has woven a beautiful tapestry of music and message on his latest project, Where Love Runs Deep.