Music review: Come My Beloved

Messianic music has, over the years, left a great legacy to us common folk in the Messianic movement. With artists like Lamb, Israel’s Hope, Marty Goetz, and others, we have been enriched through psalms of intimate worship, songs to lift up, music that lets the heart worship freely.

As the years roll on, many of the original pioneers of Messianic music are slowing their pace. In their places are a number of new artists contributing fresh music: Sharon Wilbur, Roman & Alaina Wood, and many others. It’s good to see new Messianic artists continuing in the tradition of music for the Lord.

Naturally, I was pleased to be contacted by an upcoming Messianic artist and cantor, Jonathan Lane, asking if I’d have a look at his first shot at Messianic music, the EP entitled, Come My Beloved.

My favorite from the album is the likewise-titled Come My Beloved, posted with permission:

Jonathan Lane - Come My Beloved

Lane’s music is based out of traditional liturgy, yet has a fresh, modern sound. Lane explains,

[My idea is to] put Messianic and Jewish ideas into modern sounding music that could  resonate with the larger Christian community. The lyrics to four out of the five songs on the EP are based on liturgy found in the Siddur. I want all believers  in Yeshua to experience the rich beautiful language of the prayers  found in the Siddur.

The modern, rich sound is heard clearly through the EP.

His music might be considered a dash of Sharon Wilbur’s modern sound blended with a folky touch ala Roman & Alaina Wood.

A quick run-down of the songs:

1. Come My Beloved / Lecha Dodi
   
   Easily the best song on the EP. Soft, beautiful foreground and background vocals mixed well over a light folky guitar. A beautiful song for the Lord.  
   
   

   Shake off the dust o son of God
   For your glory has been revealed
   For too long we have dwelt in the valley of sorrow
   He will shower his salvation on us

2. Adonai
   
   The many Hebrew names and titles for the God of Israel lay the foundation for this song.
   
   While I enjoyed the lyrics, I’m not sure what Lane was going for with this one music-wise. A rockabilly-like tune was an odd pairing with the lyrics.
3. The Lord Reigns
   
   Upbeat, triumphal praise song. Interspersing Scriptures (Exodus 15) and traditional prayers from the Siddur, this is one of my favorites from the album. Great praise song.
4. Adon Olam
   
   Comforting song on trusting in the Lord. The lyrics fit a worship song, but the tune is somewhere in between an upbeat praise song and a softer worship psalm.
   
   A softer, perhaps even acoustic line would have been a more welcome melody, but overall the song still does well despite the rockier chorus in what is otherwise a worshipful psalm.
5. Ushavtem Mayim
   
   “With joy (love, life), we’ll dance around and sing of our salvation.”
   
   This song brought a smile to my face. A joyful praise to the Lord, complete with little kids shouting praises in the background! Rough around the edges. Little southern accent to boot! Amusing. Lane explains,
   
   

   It is rounded out by a raw acoustic cut of "Ushavtem Mayim" live from "my kid's room". "Ushavtem Mayim" is a Messianic kid's song geared to the young and young at heart.

   Ultimately a fun, lighthearted song, purely acoustic.

Final Thoughts

Good EP. Jonathan Lane has put together something great for the Lord. I was particularly blessed by “Come My Beloved”. This kind of uplifting worship is where Lane’s music excels.

It’s clearly modern; while that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I encourage you fine blog readers to give it a listen. You’ll be encouraged through Lane’s praises.

I think we’ll hear more from him in the coming years.

If I could gripe about anything on Lane’s first offering, it’s that the album sounded too Christian for this Messianic. I don’t say that as an insult – Lane’s music will appeal to Christians, and that is not by accident. As a Messianic, some of the tunes were too Christian for my liking. I hope when Lane releases his full album next year, he’ll explore more Messianic sounds.

That said, I have to applaud Lane for going with his unique sound and not boxing himself into a preconceived idea of what Messianic music should sound like. Indeed, the legacy Messianic music we have from the past generation did not fit into any one single music genre, but benefited from multiple influences, whether the orchestral Israel’s Hope or the folky Lamb or mystical Segal and Boskey. Lane likewise contributes a unique sound of his own: modern with a touch of southern folk. Kudos on him.

Thanks to Jonathan for producing this EP! Being blessed by this work, I encourage him to continue following this passion of music for Messiah. And I encourage you fine blog readers to grab the EP (it costs less than a cup of coffee), you’ll be blessed through it.

p.s. You can hear Lane’s music, as well as ~1000 other great Messianic tunes, on Chavah, internet radio for Yeshua’s disciples. </shamelessPlug>