Pop-soul band Unspoken continues refining their brand of uplifting, half-modern/half-retro CCM with their finest effort yet, Reason. The album wastes no time getting started with the title track, a radio-worthy blast of sugary melodies balanced with subdued music -- traits that are emblematic of the album as a whole. So if you enjoy "Reason" (and I highly recommend watching its accompanying music video), then you have every reason to continue enjoying the rest of this album's well-crafted pop gems.

Front-and-center are the vocals and lyrics of frontman Chad Mattson, who is almost so casual in his performances that you're likely to miss when he does something really impressive -- which is often. Whether he's singing alone, backed by a choir of his bandmates, belting out high notes, or nearly rapping (as on "Human Condition"), he is in full command of his skill set, carrying these songs even when they occasionally rely too heavily on obvious (albeit effective) chord progressions and song dynamics. (That said, the music itself is sometimes legitimately great, yet it's always unassuming. Kudos to a production team who engineered and mixed this album in a manner that the music never distracts or detracts from the vocals!)

If there are two traits I wouldn't expect to find myself praising on a pop album, it would be the lyrics and the strength of the album's back half, but on Reason, such praise is due tenfold. Much of the impact and honesty of these lyrics is likely due to the band's goal to write "songs for us"; and by penning songs that were specifically for themselves and their spouses and their children, their efforts have resulted in universally relatable songs that tap into some of the most basic truths of Christian life. This is true from track one to twelve, perhaps most poignantly seen on "Never Would've Made It" and "Can't Even Love Myself." Meanwhile, Side B charges in with "Already Won," which boasts the biggest chorus hook on the album, and we don't arrive at Reason's best song until track ten, "If We Only Knew." With a chorus that proclaims, "If we only knew / How deep the ocean of Your love / How powerful every drop of blood / How much it cost to rescue us / If we only knew / How far the East is from the West / How we are clothed in righteousness / How strong the hands that conquered death," the song is elevated to something truly special and profoundly powerful. (Check out Chad Mattson's appearance on the JFH Podcast for a deep dive into the story behind this song and the album.)

In an age when it's easy to accuse Christian pop music of being at an all-time low--as if radio singles arrive straight off of an assembly line of computerized beats, overused hooks, and clichéd lyrics--Unspoken's Reason is a shining exception of a talented band not trying to reinvent the genre or push the boundaries of the genre, but instead perfectly utilizing the genre for all of its thrills and benefits. Reason is a spiritually encouraging album that gets better with time and is simply fun to sing along with. I'll make the obvious pun one last time: you have every reason to go check it out.