Album Review: Jonathan Nelson – ‘Finish Strong’
Artist: Jonathan Nelson
Album: Finish Strong
Release Date: April 23, 2013
Label: KaRew Records
iPod Pick: Live Pure Feat. Todd Dulaney
There are many things I can tell you about what Jonathan Nelson’s music does to me. The message, the great voice, the soulful/moody/emotional instrumental hooks and adlibs he is known to throw in skillfully but without much ado let’s see whether this new project would be on our playlist for a short or long while.
Jonathan Nelson’s Finish Strong’s album kicks off with the type of song you hear after a long day or upon entering church that is just bound to bring a big smile to your face. On ‘Finish Strong (Strong Finish)’ the title track ,the lyrics are great but the tight melody and keyboard refrains at the start of the verses is what does it for this beautiful song. And it’s got that bouncy jive to it too. I don’t know why but the energy at the intro of ‘Yes Lord’ might just get you thinking ‘who swapped my Jonathan Nelson CD for a Black Eyed Peas CD’ (obviously ones with songs with Fergie on the team not back in the days when they had space for soul like the music contributions of Macy Gray). This one would be playing on our radios for a long time.
‘Live Pure’ which features the amazing Todd Dulaney (Though this is the first time I’ve ever heard anything from him) is a music masterpiece. It would take you back to why we love church music in the first place. Let the meditations of my heart be pure, of my mind stay pure. Lord I will endure. Every melody that comes from me, be pure. Every song, stay pure. Lord I will endure. I wanna live pure. Great and insightful songwriting plus great instrumentation! On this one you bound to move your body even if you aren’t skilled at digging it. It won’t really matter.
Things slow down on ‘God is Blessing’ and from there the album starts on a musical journey of hope inspiration and audacious declaration of faith with elegant Karen Clark Sheard appearing on ‘Worked it Out’ and I’m glad to tell you she didn’t save her croons and ad-libs, she gave them all away beautifully. So get ready.
We also get to hear one of the best lyrics on ‘Flow’. There’s a river that flows from heaven to earth. It’s inside of you. It’s inside of me. Flow river flow. With the melody that accompanies, this would definitely land on your playlist for devotions soon. Yes, it’s a pure sound that would help you totally concentrate on the maker. With Lowell Pye on the jazzy cool ‘Dwell in Me’ and many more let unsaid Jonathan Nelson’s new CD wouldn’t disappoint.
As a person who reviews art and music, I try my best to view with a critical eye every work I’m asked to review not just to a scumbag but to help the consumer know the real thing they are getting (be it good, mediocre, bad or terrible. Yes friends there is terrible after the bad) and also to help the artist improve their work for the next project. And honestly though I have been won over by previous Jonathan Nelson’s albums (‘Right Now Praise’ and ‘Better Days’) I still handled this one with a critical eye but found little to no faults. Or oh I found two. One, please Jonathan, why is this good album so short. Its 9 tracks not 12. Those interludes, do they really count? And two, you can make improve on this by promising us that you won’t stop making great music.
