Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

JFH Music Review


Matthew West, All In (Digital Re-Release)
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Matthew West
All In (Digital Re-Release)



Artist Info: Discography
Genre(s): Pop / Contemporary
Album length: 19 tracks: 66 minutes, 29 seconds
Street Date: June 22, 2018


READER RATING:   


By this point in his discography, fans of Matthew West know exactly what to expect when they buy his albums: a collection of polished radio-ready pop/worship offerings, with a couple of sweeping ballads thrown into the mix for good measure. Here and there, the singer will skirt the periphery of that which might be considered truly funky. But he never sinks far enough into that sort of groove to risk ruffling the feathers of the existing fan base who have come to love and appreciate - if not outright expect - the usual assortment of pop/worship compositions that have all but come to define West's prevailing musical bent.

To his credit, All In does find West deviating from his own template here and there. The spritely toe-tapper, "Amen," which sounds as if the listener accidentally walked in on a full-blown bluegrass hoedown already several hours in progress, is sure to shake the slumber from all but the sleepiest of souls. The effortlessly laid-back feel of "Jesus & You" render the infectious track a near-perfect example of the pop/country idiom. And the lilting "1 Song" is propelled along so nicely by its airtight melody and semi-electronic accouterments that one has to wonder why West doesn't write this kind of material more often.

Where many a deluxe edition (or, in this case, an unnamed, expanded re-release) is nothing more than a case of the base release plus a handful of lesser, tacked-on cuts that don't go nearly far enough toward justifying the purchase of the extended-version, West's latest outing actually benefits from the inclusion of the additional tracks. Indeed, minus the copious layers of studio gloss that weighed down the original project, the stripped-back acoustically-based numbers possess a lighter, less encumbered feel than their more heavily-produced original counterparts, allowing a clearer look at West's sturdy singing voice and a heightened appreciation of his often-impressive melodic savvy.

Of course, existing fans will inevitably find West's latest effort much to their liking by default. Naysayers, on the other hand, aren't likely to pick up either version of the record, given that neither of them sound appreciably different from the bulk of his former work. For everyone else, the best bet would be to download only the five new songs, given that the remainder of the cuts on the extended iteration are far too leaden and like-sounding to recommend them to anyone but those already enamored with West's previous projects.

- Preview Review date: 8/30/18, written by Bert Gangl of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

 

. Record Label: Sparrow Records
. Album length: 19 tracks: 66 minutes, 29 seconds
. Street Date: September 22, 2017 / June 22, 2018 (Digital Re-Release)
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon.com (CD)
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3) (2018 Re-Release)
. Buy It: iTunes (2018 Re-Release)

  1. All In (3:31)
  2. Broken Things (3:07)
  3. Mercy Is a Song (3:45)
  4. Amen (3:15)
  5. The Sound of a Life Changing (3:26)
  6. Something Greater (3:19)
  7. Jesus & You (3:22)
  8. The Beautiful Things We Miss (3:23)
  9. 1 Song (2:55)
  10. Power Love Sound Mind (3:48)
  11. Never Ever Give Up (2:41)
  12. Dream Again (4:40)
  13. Becoming Me (feat. Lulu West) (4:05)
  14. You Are Known (4:03)

    2018 Re-Release Bonus Tracks:
  15. Broken Things (Acoustic) (3:08)
  16. All In (Acoustic) (3:33)
  17. Mercy Is a Song (Acoustic) (3:42)
  18. The Beautiful Things We Miss (Acoustic) (3:24)
  19. Jesus & You (Acoustic) (3:22)

 

 JFH Album Sample Player

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 


(JFH Sponsor Spot)

 

 

                 
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

Search JFH




This Friday, November 8, 2024
ALBUMS
Gabby Barrett Carols and Candlelight [Warner Music Nashville]
CXMMXNS CXMMXNS Chapter 1 - EP [Essential Worship]
New Hope Oahu There Is One - EP [DREAM]
Neal Morse & The Resonance No Hill For A Climber [InsideOut]
TAKE Time Bomb [Resuscitation Records]
Lauren Talley A Lauren Talley Christmas [Horizon]

SINGLES
Cory Asbury I Hope You Dance - Single [BEC]
Jordan Kauflin, Laura Story Approach, My Soul - Single [Getty]
Sam Bowman & GLADDEN Misfit Toys - Single [DREAM]
Wavorly Enemies - Single (independent)

VINYL
Michael W. Smith Every Christmas Vinyl [Rocketown]
Stryper To Hell with the Amps Vinyl [Frontiers]
TAKE Time Bomb Vinyl [Resuscitation Records]

DVD
Stryper To Hell with the Amps Blu-Ray [Frontiers]

Next Friday, November 15, 2024
ALBUMS
Dolly Parton & Family Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables [Owepar Entertainment]
The Lore Family Faith Over Fear [Horizon]
Fernando Ortega For All the Saints - EP (independent)
Earnest Pugh Worth is the Lamb
We Are Messengers Rejoice! (A Celtic Christmas) - EP [Curb]
Paul Wright III Reverie [United Alliance]

SINGLES
Big Dismal Here In My Heart - Single (independent)
Hannah Kerr It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - Single [Curb]
Olivia Lane Silent Night - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Wake Up It's Christmas - Single [BEC]
Jamie MacDonald A Million Chances - Single [Capitol CMG]
Ronnie Martin On Christmas Morning - Single [Velvet Blue]
Hunter Plake Daylight - Single [BEC]
Jordan St. Cyr Christ is Here - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Sixpence None the Richer Divine Discontent Vinyl [Word]



For all release dates, click here!
 



Check out the new album from Taylor Holland Armstrong!



Listen to the new Single from Second Adam and the New Creations!

Check out depositphotos for royalty free images