Jesusfreakhideout.com: Remember the Word Songs, "Books of the Law

JFH Indie Review

Remember the Word Songs
Books of the Law - EP

Street Date: August 25, 2015
Style: Bible Songs
Official Site: Official Website
Buy It: iTunes

Remember the Word Songs is husband and wife duo Tim and Jamie Bartlett. The project started when Jamie's combined desires to learn scripture better and to write music converged. Basically, the couple breaks down the Bible's key events and happenings by book and chapter. In this release, Books of the Law, Genesis through Deuteronomy are covered on top of the song "Books of the Bible" -- which puts the old testament books in order to song. It's actually quite an interesting concept as so often, while growing up, songs were used as a learning technique. Jamie started with "Genesis" and taught it to her four daughters line by line and night by night. After sharing with some family, Jamie decided God was calling her to do this and her husband, Tim, joined the writing process. Remember the Word Songs is a bit of a niche' project and not something you'd necessarily listen to strictly as entertainment. The songs are extremely repetitive musically, and lyrically they are mainly just factual. Jamie does make attempts to add some a little extra, beyond numbering and naming Bible chapters, such as the "Oh, oh, oh Leviticus" line in "Leviticus." The most appealing song musically is undoubtedly "Deuteronomy." The track has an almost 90's grungy/acoustic feel (though the keyboard takes away from that vibe) -- maybe something slightly comparable to Days of the New. Perhaps the overall best use for Remember for the Word Songs is children. That's not to say that the music/lyrics feel childish, but more so to say that it would be an excellent teaching tool for a younger audience. I can hear this being used in Sunday School classes, Awana (or similar children's programs), or even VBS programs. This is certainly the most fun and creative way I've seen to learn about the Bible and scripture; even Jamie herself started with her own children. Although I think this music's greatest potential is teaching kids, it can also most certainly be used by a mature believer looking to become more familiar with their Bible, or a brand new Christian who came to know Christ after their formative years. Congratulations to Tim and Jamie Bartlett for following the path laid out for them and being obedient to God's calling. Remember the Word songs is sure to help plenty of folks become more familiar with their Bibles.

- Review date: 11/10/15, written by Michael Weaver of Jesusfreakhideout.com

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JFH Staff's Second Opinion

Musician and singer/songwriter duo Tim and Jamie Bartlett are embarking on a new musical journey unlike anything I've come across before. They're working under the name Remember the Word Songs, which isn't so much a band name as it is the mission. With their first release, Books of the Law, the Bartletts are hoping to help people memorize the Bible; not Bible verses, mind you, but events in the Bible. Each song is literally just a rundown of what happens in each of the first five books of the Bible (with a bonus song categorizing all 66 books according to purpose: "The first five are the books of the law, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, the next twelve are history, Joshua, Judges, Ruth..." and so on), chapter-by-chapter, with an easy, predictable, and repetitive melody. Which, of course, works well for the purposes of this project. Each song is sung by Jamie, who originally started on the idea after feeling led by the Lord to do so, and each is set to a basic acoustic pop sound. Books of the Law isn't great for when you want to listen to music for enjoyment, but it's perfect for those wanting to get a start on memorizing Scripture, but having a hard time doing so. I'd also recommend it for your children's music libraries. Remember the Word Songs is an interesting project, and a terrific first step in memorizing the Bible. - Review date: 10/31/15, Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com

Record Label: None

Album length: 6 tracks

Street Date: August 25, 2015

Genesis (4:40)
Exodus (4:09)
Leviticus (2:47)
Numbers (4:28)
Deuteronomy (4:00)
Books of the Bible (Old Testament) (3:07)
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JFH (Michael Weaver): Can you give us a brief history on how Remember the Word Songs came to be?

Jamie Bartlett: It honestly came through a personal conviction of not knowing as well as we would like to know where things are in Scripture. Search engines are great and definitely have their place, but I felt I used them so often I had become dependent on them instead of doing the work myself of hiding God's Word in my heart. Music is such a part of our family, so one day it was like a light bulb moment. Why not write music to remember where things are in Scripture?

JFH (Michael): You started off by teaching "Genesis" to your children. What is their favorite song?

Jamie: Depending on which of the 4 girls you ask, their favorite songs are Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.

JFH (Michael): Is that your daughters singing in "Leviticus?" If so, what did they think about getting to sing on your album?

Jamie: Yes, and they loved it! They thought it was very cool to put on headphones and sing into a mic. Even our 2 year old stood still and sang right there with her older sisters. =) It was pretty awesome to include them in the process.

JFH (Michael): Is your plan to continue going straight through the Bible starting at Joshua, or are you going to start with another grouping -- say, the Gospels?

Jamie: The truth is we don't know yet. We have talked about doing both of those options, but we are waiting to see what happens with this album. We are definitely praying for God's leading with the next chapter in this project, but our hope is to keep it going for sure.

JFH (Michael): My favorite song musically is "Deuteronomy." Was there any particular inspiration for that music, or maybe an artist you had in mind while writing that one?

Tim Bartlett: That song is drop D tuning which makes it a lot of fun to play. Both my wife and I have been long time fans of the Violet Burning, and they have a song called "Let it Begin" on their album This is the Moment, which is one of my favorites from them. The vibe is kind of like a slow groove that intensifies and even though "Deuteronomy" is sung and played differently, there may have been some inspiration from that song. Minus the screeching electric guitar and screaming vocals of course :-)

JFH (Michael): What are your plans and hopes for Remember the Word Songs?

Jamie: Our main hope is for the songs to be used as a tool to learn God's Word better, and that it would be an enjoyable process. The songs were written to be simple, fun, and accessible so that both adults and children alike would want to listen to them.

Our plans are to keep this going as long as God keeps opening the doors. That may look like more books of the Bible, videos with hand motions, Bible curriculum to collaborate with the songs for schools, churches and homeschoolers, and/or translating the songs into other languages.

JFH (Michael): What has God shown you through this whole process?

Jamie: How faithful He has been since the start of this project. This idea wasn't on our radar even 9 months ago. The songs came together so quickly. Writing and recording together as a married couple could be stressful, but we were amazed at how smooth and fun it was. The Lord provided money for the recording and start up when we didn't have it. And the support from family and friends have been overwhelming. We're so thankful God gave us this opportunity!