Reviews, Interviews, News, Commentaries, Glimpses of God, Best-Of ListsMatt Brouwer: Till the Sunrise
Style: singer-songwriter pop; compare to Dave Barnes, Jason Gray, Matthew West
Top tracks: "Thornside," "Till the Sunrise," "Outside, Inside"
Brouwer's fourth album is a warm collection of love songs and prayers largely inspired by the Canadian singer-songwriter's recent marriage. The pledges and perspective changes are wrapped with organic production straddling Nashville's Christian and country industries while buoying Brouwer's clean vocals. The imagery isn't groundbreaking, but the personal lyrics ring sincere. It's accessible pop with expressions of faith woven judiciously into the album's relational context. And it's strongest when Brouwer stretches into fictionalized storytelling with the abandon of gospel grooves ("Thornside"), or tackles loss inspired by the Joplin, Mo., tornado and the death of Brouwer's father when he was a child ("Outside, Inside").
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Bill Forest
This album is amazing! "Outside Inside" is a masterpiece of songwriting to be certain. Matt may not be throwing gimmicks around to create a false sense of buzz, but he sure make a solid record, and one of the best so far this year in my opinion. Great Work!