Ever since the release of his last album, Help! in 2022, Brandon Lake has only seen his star rising and getting bigger. The industry and fans alike took notice, bestowing Brandon with four Dove Awards including artist and songwriter of the year, four Grammy Awards, and three K-LOVE Fan Awards. So naturally, expectations were high for what he had in store for his fans next. Luckily, Coat of Many Colors did not disappoint.

This listener got a chance to see Brandon in concert this past summer where he debuted a couple songs from his new album, and instantly I was hooked. "Praise You Anywhere" is a straightforward song about praising God and, although not lyrically groundbreaking, it's still a solid first impression of what to expect from his next album. The next song, "Count 'Em" is easily the heaviest song on the album and has one of the best hooks.

When the full album was released, I was surprised to find just how many different musical styles were incorporated into the album. The title track bears homage to the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, with Brandon even describing his own coat bestowed to him by God, and is a decent opener -- even if the bridge gets a bit repetitive.

In "Miracle Child," Brandon recounts how Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection makes us all miracle children. "Tear Off the Roof" takes direct inspiration from Mark chapter 2 and the story of the lame man being lowered into the house to be healed by Jesus. With lyrics like "Tear off the roof, the King's in the house / Just get me to Jesus / I don't care how," and "I didn't come here to hide in the crowd / I'm pressing through to You / I don't care how," it effectively conveys the story presented from the Bible and even gets an assist from the popular television show The Chosen when creating the music video.

"Adoption Song" reminds listeners to pay no attention to those who tell you that you're not good enough or worthy of God's love, and that ever since we were born, He adopted us and loves us and we should proudly share that with others. "God is Not Against Me" is about how, no matter what happens in our lives, God will never be against us. "Kids" is a standout track that reminds us that we're all His kids and God will always be there for us. I often find myself singing along to the chorus, especially the lines "The Miracle Worker's working a miracle out, The Miracle Worker's working a miracle now."

"Nothing New" is presented as a love letter to Jesus, thanking Him for all He's done in our lives, while "More" features guest vocals from Brandon William Hastings, an artist I hadn't heard of but now will check out thanks to Brandon. "Palm of Your Hand" lets us know that God has us in His hands, and no matter what, He will never let us go. "Turnaround" reminds us that God can make good things come out of bad things and find the beauty in our own mistakes.

"I Prophesy" is a song about witnessing everything that Jesus prophesied, while "Jesus Be Praised" is another song that's there to just praise Jesus for everything that He has done in our lives. Lyrically, it's similar to "Praise You Anywhere," but not nearly as good in my opinion. "Holy are You Lord" is unique in that it's just one lyric repeated six times stretched throughout a 3-minute run time, which makes it stand out. The final track, "Country Psalm," leans into country music a bit as an almost straight-up country ballad, and I couldn't help but sing along to the chorus, with lyrics like "Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, I've got so much to be grateful for." It's a fitting end to the album and easily an album highlight for me.

Overall, I found the music and lyrical output of Brandon Lake's Coat Of Many Colors to be exquisite, even if none of the songs reach the level of excellence that "Gratitude" hit on his last album. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Brandon.

JFH Reader Review: written by Matthew Spiker, 11/4/23, for Jesusfreakhideout.com