Andy Chrisman steps out of the "4Him" box with his 2004 freshman solo release, One. One of the signature voices of the established Christian vocal quartet, 4Him, Andy's unparalleled tenor shines against a backdrop of tunes that wouldn't normally be considered 4Him material. He enlists the production efforts of Grammy nominee Bill Baumgart, Greg Bieck (Savage Garden) and Jamie Kenney (Kim Hill), and collaborates with notable songwriters Scott Krippayne, Matthew West, Chris Rodriguez, and Cindy Morgan, to name a few.

The opening electric guitar strums of "Believe" sets the tone that this album is more progressive pop in nature. Live instrumentation is combined with dance-pop programming and loops - something not normally associated with 4Him. "Believe" is a declaration of faith. Andy states it plainly in the bridge of the song, "I believe You're the son of God, born of a virgin, died and rose again. I believe You are seated at the right hand. You're the beginning and the end." Chrisman bridges generations with the song "Adore You," his first Inspo single, by incorporating the chorus of "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee" into the song. "Complete," "Atmosphere," and "Everything" talk about how our lives aren't fulfilled without God. Perhaps one of the more underrated songs on the album is the lush piano-strings ballad "Love Remains." This song proves that Andy doesn't need a whole lot of production to sell a song. Other standout songs include "Debt of Gratitude," "What's Left to Say," and the title track.

Perhaps the only drawback to this album is the depth of lyrical material. Andy hasn't written any material for 4Him (Mark Harris is the chief songwriter for the group), so anticipating what he would put out was kind of exciting. However, Andy has written several songs for his former church (Celebrate Church - Celebration, FL), and quite possibly his new church (Church on the Move - Tulsa, OK) for which he is worship pastor. Hopefully with more practice writing songs, comes a greater sense of insight and poetry to his lyrical writing.

Andy has made an impact as a solo artist with One. He has reinvented himself and shown that he is quite capable of sustaining his presence in Christian music without three other voices alongside of him.

Review date: 9/27/05, written by David J. Ng for Jesusfreakhideout.com