The Collingsworth Family “Just Sing!” Album Review

Prime Cuts: Great Big Hands of Jesus, Two or Three, I Owe You Everything

Overall Grade: 5/5

The Collingsworth Family's (CWF) Just Sing! simply contains the sounds of heaven! The grand orchestral sounds, the  seamless singing, and the elegant-sounding production coming from Bradley Knight and Kim Collingsworth, make this record sound celestial.  Add to all of that, these 14 songs all thrive on singable melodies and profound theological truths. This album is easily a contender for one of CCM'S best albums for 2021. Just Sing! finds the family working for the second time with Bradley Knight and their first in partnering with Gaither Music. In this day and age when record companies and even artists themselves are not willing to invest much money and time in the making of records, this album sounds like it was cut on a big budget with great attention paid to its execution. 

If you remember the majestic sounds of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir in their heydays, album opener "Jesus, I Give You Praise" reprises such glory. From the lush orchestral intro to how the team builds up to the crescendo of the song, the clarion call to worship Jesus in this song could not be clearer. In our COVID-age when fear and uncertainties are our companions, the delightful "Great Big Hands of Jesus" is such a dispeller of gloom. The song's child-like trust in Jesus warrants this song to be placed on repeat.

If you like CWF's ballads, don't miss "Two or Three." Olivia Collingsworth takes the lead in reminding us of Jesus' promise. It doesn't take a multitude for prayers to be heard, but it only takes "two or three." Be ready to have your Kleenex nearby for the heart-tugging "He'll Find a Way." A gorgeous piano piece with some killer piano riffs, "He'll Find a Way" is a powerful reminder why Jesus is still greater than our circumstances. More faith-building ballads come with the prayerful "I Owe You Everything" and the mesmerizing "That's Not the God I Know."

Ballads aside, "Right By Your Side" has that 50s jazz swing that is contagiously fun. If you like some New Orleans' gospel sound with lots of sassy brass sounds, "Not One Word" fits the bill. Those who like those big anthems will be thrilled with "Then He Said, 'Sing!'," "Because of the Blood," and the dramatic over 7-minutes "Ten Thousand Angels/He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need." One listen through this record and you know a lot of hard work goes in to make this album: from the intricate string arrangements to the layered harmonies to the choice of songs, it would be a remiss to award this album anything less than a 5/5!

 

 

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