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Michael Olson's new Rocketown project, "Where Fear & Faith Collide," has an unusual quality I found immensely appealing: desperation.
That may or may not at first sound to you like something you’d enjoy listening to. It’s a word normally used in a denigrating way, but not in this instance. Not at all in this instance. For the believer, desperation is the best position, the proper posture, and Michael Olson captures it brilliantly on “Where Fear & Faith Collide.” It’s been two years since Rocketown released Olson’s indie debut, “Long Arm of Love,” and the two years have included numerous challenges, professionally and personally. You can go through those seasons the hard way, resisting the work of God in your life, or the easy way, embracing the cross and trying to learn from the struggle. If this new album is any indication, Olson opened his arms. Wide. The first radio single opens the project, “On the Third Day,” an ambient song that addresses the cycles of our lives in God. Written by Matt Maher and Marc Byrd (the only track Olson did not have a hand in writing), its lyrics conjure up strong images of life and death, and Olson’s intense vocals do a great job of conveying this vital focus, setting the stage for an album of substance. The upbeat pop-rocker “If You Can Stop the World” follows, affirming the Lord’s constant presence and love while working the truths of Romans 8 into the hooky chorus. I was deeply moved by the lush “Our First Love,” thick with sound and passion. Co-written with producer Jason Ingram, this song is a prayer of desire, powerfully expressing our desperate need to return to our first love. Another standout track follows, the throbbing, thumping “God is With Us,” a pop-rocker with a slammin’ chorus. Just as you get your breath back from this up-tempo track, the luminous “Tell Me Again” snatches it away again, this time with a sensitively-rendered tour of God’s faithfulness through the Bible ages. The soft vocals of guest artist Sara Groves fit beautifully with the gentle sonic touches of this lovely song. There are more tasty string tidbits on the title track, another declaration of faith. Written with Big Daddy Weave frontman Mike Weaver, it includes the great verse: “My heart wants to follow You/ But all of the thoughts in my head disagree/ Yeah, I’ve got some faith to give/ But I’m so afraid and I’m stuck in between/ It’s more than just reticence/ It contradicts common sense/ To go where You’re leading, but lead me.” It’s the desperate man who sings such a verse. We should all be so desperate. Oh, wait a minute. . . we are. Mark your calendar now for the release of Michael Olson's superb sophomore offering, “Where Fear & Faith Collide,” streeting February 13.
The copyright of the article Michael Olson: Review in Christian Music is owned by Kevan Breitinger. Permission to republish Michael Olson: Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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