The Daily Gamecock

'Poets & Saints' connects listeners to God, history of the church

Release Date: Sept. 2

Label: Integrity Music

Duration: 42:29

Grade: A-

All Sons & Daughters' latest album, "Poets & Saints," has a companion book written by Pastor Jaime George, the pastor of the band's home church, Journey Church. Sharing the same title, the music-novel combination offers a deeply emotional and spiritual look into the history of the church through stories and song.

As part of the writing process for the book and album, the band ventured to the homes of historic Christian writers and theologians including C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald and Saint Augustine.

With the vision of "reimagining ancient-future truths that have shaped generations of God-chasers," the album connects to the time-tested truth of the Bible that God remains throughout all generations and that He is the same God today that He was in the years when past believers walked the Earth.

The album creatively illustrates these biblical truths by featuring varying vocal leads, as Leslie Jordan and David Leonard switch off the role of lead singer throughout songs, contrasting the ever-changing state of the world with lyrics from older praise music.

The echoing choruses in songs like "Rest In You" enlist voices in singing, “You cannot change, yet you change everything,” from "The Confessions of St. Augustine." The repetition of this phrase in the main body of the song reiterates God’s paradoxical unchanging and heart-transforming nature.

In an almost surprising way, the artists give an intimate look into the humanity of famous saints, putting their poetry and writings to music to illustrate how we can connect today with believers in the past through their sufferings and need for spiritual rest.

In the track "You are Love & Love Alone," the lyrics, “How perfectly our hearts are made for love/ You are love and love alone,” demonstrate that we can only find deep, heart-level fulfillment by seeking the true source of love, Jesus, because we were created by Him for Him.

“Nothing else, but You oh Lord/ I find everything in You,” in the song "I Surrender" as well as the lines “In You we live, in You we move/ In You we have our being,” in "Creation Sings" emphasize that completeness can only be derived from and found by loving and living for God.

On their website, All Sons & Daughters and collaborative artists of the Poets & Saints project reveal their purpose in this reminder of historic relevancy:

"Our hope is that in this music, book and curriculum, people will find connection, with one another and connection with God. A place of vulnerability and discovery where there is freedom and forgiveness ... conversations that generate spiritual health, a ripple effect that changes people's lives."

Overall, the album offers a creative view of the rich history of the Christian church while relating it to today's believers.


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