Mercy Me

The store I work at currently has all of the MercyMe cds on sale so I thought I would take a moment and comment on their cds.

I have followed mercyme since their beginning. Beyond their singles like 'I can only imagine' I have been inspired by their thoughtful lyrics where some only like the idea of heaven, and for go the reality of Christians actually having to adhere to their master.
I will break down their cds one by one and I wont waist my time with their Christmas album, even though All That is Within Me came out around Christmas and really could be a Christmas album in many respects.


Almost There: This is their first and most acclaimed album to date. For a first effort, it is very strong. I imagine they had been playing together for while and this was simply them finally being heard by the public. Still, this cd has come out with a platinum edition because of how popular it is and how many overall units it has sold. I imagine this is because of its most widely known song 'I can only imagine', so I wont spend to much on that song. All I will say is yes, it is that good; yes it is overplayed; and if you havent seen the video you should watch it with any person you have watched pass on's picture there beside you. It is pretty poweful.
The other songs to get excited about on this cd are 'I worship you', 'How Great is your Love', 'House of God', and probably 'Bless me Indeed.' Although the rest of the cd is very good, the next two cds that they come out with will only better a lot of the efforts found in this cd. One thing is for sure though that Almost There is probably the most unique of the first three cds, simply because the second two albums really seemed to try to reproduce I can only Imagine. Still, if the sound works-which it has-go with it.
I worship you starts out the cd as an upbeat melody for Christians to aspire to. The song starts out with 'Ive been walkin with a big grin, singing with my eyes closed, liftin up my hands'. I can only hope that Christians are able to live life with this mentality. I believe Christians, including myself, walk around miserable and wonder why. They have accepted Christ into their lives, but no joy is theirs to have. Maybe though, if really truly searched after God and let Jesus reign in our hearts and not just be a part of who we are we would have reason to Worship Him. The second song I noted, How Great is your Love, is a slower melodic song that lifts up the majesty of the Father. It really amplifies Bart Miller's vocals but also has a depth to the music that some of Mercymes other songs simply do not. It is a classic adult contemporary song that really shows Mercymes strenghts. House of God then is an awesome song. It makes one want to get out of their seat and shout the lyrcis with Bart and proclaim a Christian battle cry in many senses. I like this song because of its uniqueness in a ever reproduced sound, but also the very clear lyrics that really call out to God and proclaims what the Church truly ought to be. The last song of note is Bless Me Indeed. Although this is not a great musically done song, it would have been written right around the time the Prayer of Jabez came out, and basically outlines the theme of this book. Bless me Indeed, open up my horizons. That is what we pray.

The next cd is Undone. Overall this cd really reminded me of the first, so I wont spend too much time on the nitty gritty parts of the cd. The most played song is probably 'Here with Me', which is probably rightfully song because of its strong melody and how it once again amplifies Bart's vocals. I personally liked Unaware, Undone, and Keep Singing.
Unaware is an amazing song proclaiming the truths of Christian finding Christ in the midst of our own inequities. We ought to be unaware of our pasts and only strive for a future that is in Christ.
Undone, the title track, is a noteable because of the build up in the song. Calling us to go to Christ and lay all our cares upon the throne because are chains are undone and we no longer bound to sin, but our chains have been broken and we are free.
The last song, Keep Singing, is by far the best song. The piano in this song is no less than beautiful, and if this is not enough one can simply sit back and let Bart's amazing voice cue you to sleep. This song, though, I do not believe is about the talents found there in. I believe it is about the lyrics giving glory to God. We keep singing, we keep praising His name, for He is the only one that keeps our hearts beating. Everything else that happens in this world apart from God can only lead to death and decay. Finding our solace in the Lord is the only reason any of us have claim to any good which has every happened. His Salvation is all we need in this Life. So, Jesus sing over me, and I will be able to keep singing.

Spoken For: This is much like the first two, infact listening to them all in junction of one another it really sounds like some of these songs from the first three cds may have been written right along the same time the first cd came out. Which it could of been, considering the first three cds came out one year after the previous. Still, for true Mercyme fans this is not a reason to complain, but be thankful that they are staying to what works and what is reaching their listeners.
The songs of note on this cd are much the same as the second cd. The title track, Come One Come all, Word of God Speak, and All Because of This. Spoken for is much like Undone and Unaware, proclaiming much of the same message of who has spoken for our soul. Come One Come All goes back to what caught my attention with House of God. It is up beat and really is one to sing with, good for any car ride really.
Word of God Speak is amazing. In the same tradition as I can only imagine, but more so Keep Singing, this song really calls out to the Word of God to be what we listen to. Sometimes in the midst of our complaints and our trials our voice can be too loud and we simply do not listen for the truths of our maker. It ought to be our prayer for us to take the opportunity to come to God's holy Tabernacle and rest. Beyond the music, beyond the noise, God will speak if we only listen. In the quite, we will hear His voice.

Coming up to Breathe: This cd took a little longer to come out it seemed, and there are notes on this cd that really make that visible. The songs that are unique and different than anything MercyMe has done to this point are No More No Less, One Trick Pony, and Safe and Sound. No More, No Less is upbeat and has a lot of different aspects in the song. At one point it shifts to an almost African sound with distinct voice harmonies that MercyMe simply hasnt done much of. It is more of a rock ballad than anything else, and the first song on this cd that really set it apart from its counterparts. One Trick Pony is almost like what Jars of Clay Who We are Instead album was to most of their music. The song has a real blue grass feel with an entirely jazzy beat to it and once again very unique and very different than anything we have heard thus far. Safe and Sound then is almost a flash back to the seventies, a very up beat and diverse sound. Although it has similar tendencies to other songs MercyMe have done, overall they do more with harmonies and the overall feel of the song is more unique.
Still, for all you die hard fans of Word of God, I can only imagine, and Keep singing, the is Bring the Rain. Once again, an amazing song of praise and worship clarifying that our best times are in our worst times when we are willing to give our heavy burdens over to the king.

All that is Within me: This cd is by far and away the most unique album to date. The melodies take different turns than any of the rest of the cds, and in this way is definately their best musically done cd because it is not easy, but sounds like it would have been a different turn for the group. Although the Coming up to Breathe is a smooth transition so as to not completely surprise us, but still, there are no real songs to really compare to other MercyMes stuff on this cd. God With Us is really the only song that can be compared to other Mercy Me songs, but even this one takes a unique upbeat step to what songs like I Can only Imagine have done lyrically before. I wont take too much time describing this cd, I believe that if you have followed MercyMe you will enjoy this cd just as much as the others and may even be what people are looking for. Just know you wont find as many of the same cookie cutter songs on this cd as the previous ones.


Almost There: A
Undone: B-
Spoken For: B-
Coming up to Breath: B+
All That is Within Me: A