Like so many of us, Adam Cunningham admits that he's often relied on his own strength when his life was going well. But when his son Brock was born with an unexpected, life-threatening medical condition, Cunningham found himself with a situation he couldn't fix himself, and promptly turned to God for help. When his son was eventually healed, he vowed to rededicate his life in service of the Lord. That led him to switch careers from financial manager at a car dealership to worship leader, which in turn led to a deal with Trackstar Recordworks to record Cunningham's self-titled debut, which was largely written during that tumultuous time.

Songs like the decidedly introspective "Come Back" and "Ways Unseen," written specifically about his wife's struggles in the midst of crisis, provide a rare glimpse of what his family was going through. But instead of using his personal experiences to further illuminate his journey back to God, he relies on generic faith-based sentiments that have been sung by so many other Christian artists. While songs like the piano-based worship of "You Are My God" and the countrified storytelling of "What Love Can Do" are certainly catchy enough, they could've been sung by any of his peers. Nor does Cunningham score points for originality with his voice—a cross between Steven Curtis Chapman and Mark Hall (Casting Crowns)—or the predictable pop/rock arrangements and production (by industry vet Michael Omartian). It's just far too middle-of-the-road to make an artistic statement.

With such a colorful, compelling testimony to inspire his work, you can't help but want more than the vanilla-sounding "Friend of Mine" or the generic sentiments of "You're All I Want" and "Learning to Live." Much like Jeremy Camp's debut (written after his first wife passed away), most of Cunningham's debut relies on worshipful, feel-good messages all tied up in a pretty bow. The album is a missed opportunity to share something more rewarding and unique.

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