Singer-songwriter Wendy Jepsen mined the Scriptures for her musical portrayal of the relationship of Christ and the church as Bride and Groom. She then put her insightful, encouraging images to song, in this case quietly acoustic, guitar-driven, Scripture-bathed songs, topped with charming ethereal layered vocals. The overall effect is deeply worshipful, and many will find “Song of the Bride” to be a very useful devotional accompaniment.
“Song of the Bride,” Jepsen’s second album, opens on a joyous note with “Immanuel,” indicating immediately the spiritual intentions of the artist, both by the Scriptural lyrics and her spoken word reading of a passage from Isaiah mid-track. The hushed instrumentation of the reverential “Be Still” affirms the album’s direction, and Jepsen never wavers from it. I enjoyed the airy arrangements of “Be Thou My Vision,” a very Celtic take on the classic hymn, and the only track not penned by the singer. Also noteworthy are the gentle chord movements of “Take My Eyes,” her vocals quietly passionate over an achingly sweet violin. Jepsen is the master of Quietly Passionate.
“Song of the Bride” manages to convey a warm intimacy throughout, but it's especially striking in tracks like “I Remember You” and the fervent “My Beloved.” The lyrics on the latter track are superb, and the violin again underscores the song’s deep emotional power. Things wind down nicely with the closing title track as Jepsen is joined by a small choir, adding to the album’s gentle grace and moving spiritual impact. Her promo package indicates that she ministers in prison settings, among other venues, and I imagine that her worshipful music is very healing to the listeners she reaches there. Wendy Jepsen is using her gift well, a blessing to us all.
