Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Music Review


Travis Ryan, Fearless
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Travis Ryan
Fearless



Album length: 11 tracks: 50 minutes, 40 seconds
Street Date: April 10, 2012


Ever since Rick Warren's New York Times best-seller The Purpose Driven Life hit shelves in 2002, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, has drawn a spotlight from the evangelical community. Even ten years after the book dropped into the hands of readers everywhere, the effects of Warren's star power are present, and Travis Ryan is no exception. As worship leader at Saddleback, Ryan's public "seal-of-approval" from Warren no doubt brings good things to his debut studio effort on Integrity Music, Fearless. The result is worship project that is better than most.

With gritty guitars accompanied by Ryan's reserved, but effective, vocal style, Fearless is immediately off to a great start with the hard-hitting "Love That Has Won" and "Battle Song." The production value here is especially high, and with big names such as Adam Hawkins and Chris Testa (more famous for behind-the-scenes work with secular artists such as 50 Cent, Jimmy Eat World, Goo Goo Dolls, and more) on mixing and engineering duties, the album has an epic feel without going overboard in theatrics. As a studio-recorded worship effort, the innate musical power of the album never feels forced or canned, which is a very hard tightrope for any worship artist to walk. "The Wrestling," "Jesus My Victory," and "Devotion" all shine as the crowning trio of Fearless, combining effective melodies with well-written lyrics for a solid worship experience.

With this recording quality as the basis of the album's quality, Fearless avoids major pitfalls but is an imperfect project that struggles mostly in little areas. "Lord Most High" is a somewhat forgettable inclusion, while the album's lead single "Jesus Precious Jesus" boasts good quality in sound, but not so much in lyrical complexity, especially in the simple-to-a-fault chorus ("Jesus, precious Jesus/O Jesus/You are the King"). But this nitpicking is a little unnecessary in the long run; some tracks are written better than others, but as a general rule, one would be hard-pressed to find a "lazy" or even a "bad" track in the bunch. However, the album as a cohesive project is less than astounding as an experience. As accomplished as the first few tracks are, the rest of the album follows suit, but the result is a record without much variety. Listening to the album in a straight shot makes Fearless run together significantly. In some ways, listening to the album's songs in a shuffle with other music would strengthen its replayability factor, but playing the eleven tracks in a single run-through decreases each song's individual power.

Worship albums have got to be one of the hardest projects to get right for any artist, and Travis Ryan certainly comes closer than the majority of his contemporaries. Indeed, Fearless does more right than wrong, and some aforementioned tracks are really something to behold. One wouldn't make a bad choice in picking up Fearless, but Ryan would do very well to continue seeking out pristine production for his next studio effort which will surely be an improvement; this listener is confident that Ryan's best is yet to come.

- Review date: 4/9/12, written by Roger Gelwicks of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

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

 

. Record Label: Integrity Music
. Album length: 11 tracks: 50 minutes, 40 seconds
. Street Date: April 10, 2012
. Buy It: iTunes (Deluxe Version)
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. Love That Has Won (3:42)
  2. Battle Song (4:05)
  3. Jesus Precious Jesus (4:14)
  4. The Wrestling (5:23)
  5. Most High (4:44)
  6. Jesus My Victory (5:37)
  7. Awaken Us (3:58)
  8. Fearless (4:14)
  9. My Devotion (4:18)
  10. You Are With Me Still (3:55)
  11. Chase (6:34)

    iTunes Deluxe Tracks:
  12. Fearless (Living Room Sessions) (4:10)
  13. Jesus Precious Jesus (Living Room Sessions) (4:14)
  14. Love That Has Won (Living Room Sessions) (3:42)
  15. Most High (Living Room Sessions) (4:40)
  16. Fearless (Living Room Sessions) [video] (4:04)
  17. Jesus Precious Jesus (Living Room Sessions) [video] (4:08)
  18. Love That Has Won (Living Room Sessions) [video] (3:38)
  19. Most High (Living Room Sessions) [video] (4:38)
spacer     Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics

 

Leave a Comment


 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

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

Search JFH



This Friday, July 25, 2025
ALBUMS
Anchor & Braille New Mexico [Equal Vision]
B. Tee Told You [Syntax]
Bride Scarecrow Messiah CD Re-Release [Girder]
Empowered SALT - EP (independent)
Homesick Prodigals Different Good (independent)
KDNS After Eden [Syntax]
Olivia Lane Songs About Jesus (Deluxe Edition) [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard TASHA [Motown Gospel]
Kevi Morse Kingston We Winning [Syntax]
Pulpit Vomit Hospital Lens [Rottweiler]
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno Dance for Jesus - EP (independent)
Taylor & Co Worship Breakthrough - EP (independent)
Josh Wright LEAD (independent)

SINGLES
abenezer i was lost - Single [Gotee]
Joe L Barnes Good Shepherd (Studio Version) - Single [Provident]
Sho Baraka Still Got Faith (ft. L3xdivine) - Single [Syntax]
Gracie Binion Easy To Please - Single [BEC]
Katty Camargo Shine Upon Me - Single (independent)
The CCC Collective Thankful - Single (independent)
C4 Crotona Mr. Gritty - Single [Syntax]
CXMMXNS Trust and Obey (feat. CAIN) - Single [Provident]
EJ Swavv & Nickwit2Ks Growth - Single [Syntax]
Forrest Frank GOD'S GOT MY BACK - Single [River House / 10K]
Andrew Gonoude Closer To You - Single (independent)
Noah Paul Harrison Oh Lord My God (Live) - Single [Bethel]
J.Solo All I Have (ft. Kaboose & MotionPlus) - Single [Syntax]
Kings Kaleidoscope + Kings Kaleidoscope Hymns Amazing Grace - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Life In Me - Single [BEC]
Lecrae Bless You (feat. Torey D'Shaun) - Single [Reach]
TobyMac God Did It (feat. Jamie MacDonald) - Single [Capitol CMG]
Matt Maher Wait (Radio Version) - Single [Provident]
Hunter Plake Down to Earth - Single [BEC]
QEW JOYXFIX (ft. Stevie Rizo) - Single [Syntax]
Naomi Raine God Will Work It Out - Single [Tribl]
Rave Jesus Runnin' - Single [Provident]
Saints in Exile Bad Vibes - Single [Syntax]
Xander Sallows infinite - Single [DREAM]
Silent Reflection Left Me for Dead - Single [Syntax]
Michael W. Smith Your Love Is A Flood - Single [The Fuel]
John Stratton The Body and the Blood - Single [Pure Mosaic Services]
Regina Vandereijk You're the Light - Single (independent)
Joel Vaughn Feel It - Single [DREAM]
Zach Williams Killed A Man - Single [Provident]
Zauntee Jesus Down In Florida - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Bride Scarecrow Messiah Vinyl [Girder]

DVD
Jordan Smith The People's Hymnal DVD [Gaither]

This Saturday, July 26, 2025
SINGLES
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno What Would You Do? - Single (independent)

Next Friday, August 1, 2025
ALBUMS
Crash Rickshaw Big Sir - EP [Velvet Blue]
McKamey Legacy Holding to Truth [Horizon]
Ordained Thunder Roar [Girder]
V1 Worship Archives [DREAM Worship]

SINGLES
Dan Bremnes Human - Single [Curb]
Lauren Daigle Let It Be A Hallelujah - Single [Centricity]
Sleeping At Last Believe - Single (independent)

VINYL
Disciple Attack! (Limited Run Vinyl) Vinyl [Girder]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Get all of JFH's indie compilation now totally free!
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images