Bellarive “Before There Was” Album Review (Video)

Prime Cuts: Calling On Fire, Let There Be Light, Chains

Touted by many scholars as the Queen of the Pauline corpus, the Book of Ephesians canvases the explosive outpouring of grace from the Cross of Jesus searching into the slightest crack in the most remote part of the globe.  In an effort to capture such a majestic overflow of God's grace, the members of Bellarive have immersed themselves in the Apostle's teaching in order to present to us with these Scripturally-soaked offerings.  With congregational worship as its focus, "Before There Was," thus, are 12 vertically directed songs that could service well not only in a church setting but also in our own personal worship of God. 

Just as these 12 songs seek to exalt the grace of God across international border, this is also true of the band's name "Bellarive."  Loosely translated as "beautiful river," "Bellarive" is a compound word consisting of "Bella" which is Italian for "beautiful" and "rive" which is French for "river."  Comprising of Sean Curran (vocals, keys), Melissa Mage (vocals, percussion), Mike Mage (programming, guitars, and vocals), Josh Luker (bass, percussion) and Kenny Werner (drums), "Before There Was" is the follow-up to their debut full-length album "The Heartbeat" in 2012.  An album that produced the unforgettable single "Taste of Eternity" whose video received over 70,000 views on YouTube.

Just as the Apostle Paul opens the book of Ephesians excitedly in one big long sentence without any punctuation like a schoolboy who has just scored his first touchdown, the same excitement is conveyed from the very first note of "Let There Be Light."  With lines inspired by Paul of how grace breaks into our world like a beam of shinning light, every moment of "Let There Be Light" is unexpectedly worth savoring.  Just like with "The Heartbeat," Bellarive are masters at balancing between creativity and convention.  On the convention side, we have "Your Great Love," a more or less standard type of worship song; it has the bombastic chorus and the flagrant use of the falsetto.  With its crisp sounding drums and its deliberate timed rhythms, lead single "Bring Us Back" may lean too much on the latest sounds of pop radio, but this shouldn't belie its message that speaks of God's effecting grace.

More on the artsy side is "Lazarus," an ingenious re-telling of John 11 that starts off with a haunting ethereal feel while ending with some gothic metallic guitar riffs that is nothing short of breathtaking. Bellarive is at their best when they just let loose to worship.  Heart rendering are "Chains" and "Calling on Fire;" of note is that these songs speak of repentance and the immolation of sin, themes often eschewed by many worship leaders today.  While "Only You Can Raise the Dead" mixes modern worship with an atypical Celtic and high church sound that certainly comes across as refreshing. 

Ultimately, with Scripture, particularly the Book of Ephesians, as your muse, it's hard to err.  If you are looking for a worship album that's not afraid to experiment to a certain degree, give Bellarive's "Before There Was" a try.  

 

 

Tags : Bellarive Bellarive new album Bellarive 2014 Bellarive Before There Was Before There Was worship album