Former Desperation Band member Jared Anderson has acquired a good amount of experience in the contemporary worship genre, as well as recording a previous solo album before this sophomore release, Where Faith Comes From. When I first heard Anderson's latest album, it was with little or no expectation of anything great or blasé musically. While Where Faith Comes From may not be a revolution for Contemporary Christian Music, it doesn't quite fall into the category of sounding like most of the other CCM bands out there, either.

Opener "Promises" sets the album off to a good start, with an energetic pop-rock sound that engages your interest. Strangely enough, this track was in a recent live recording by the Desperation Band, but Jared's studio version definitely sounds more polished, as well as having an exciting feel to it that the live version lacks. The subsequent track, "All I Want," is similar but less lively, adopting a relatively standard pop style that is slightly disappointing after hearing "Promises." In fact, every time I hear the first verse I have a slight sense of déjà vu, as if I've heard something like it before. However, Jared does close the album beautifully with "Pleasing to You," a slow, reverent piano ballad with lyrics that are prayerful, asking Jesus to "Purify me/ destroy all my anger/ and wash away everything that is not pleasing to You."

Mostly, the album has its high points and low, delivering the goods with pop-rocker "Promises," "Finding Place," and the soft piano worship song "Pleasing to You." With lyrics such as "I know where faith comes from/ I know that love breaks through/ I know You found me here/ when I didn't know what to do," it's plain to see Who this album is about, which is great! However, this is probably not the sort of album you'd want to purchase if you're looking for something noticeably different from most CCM and worship music; still, if this is a style you enjoy, then you probably won't be disappointed with Jared Anderson's latest release.

- Review date: 4/9/08, written by Adam Dawson of Jesusfreakhideout.com