After a brief stint with alt rock act Ayleron in the late '00s, Steven Joubert moved on to being a worship leader, ultimately ending up as a solo singer/songwriter. As he began writing more solo material, he dove straight into CCM and Americana for his debut EP, The Entrance. Ten years and a few more singles and EPs later, he's back again with his latest offering, "Land of the Living." The Americana sound is still alive and well in Joubert's music, but "Land of the Living" also takes a lot of cues from David Crowder's particular brand of swamp pop (the song could even almost pass as an American Prodigal b-side). The song features a mild trap beat underlying a boot-stomping, hand-clapping anthem about the freedom found in Jesus. It calls the sinner to repentance while placing the glory of salvation squarely on Christ Himself as our Redeemer ("Come on up to the land of the living / come on down, saving grace / come on sinners, get delivered / this is your place … who else can save the sinner / He is the only one"). "Land of the Living" is an energetic, infectious single that could not only be a big radio hit, but more importantly, takes the Great Commission seriously and recognizes God as our only hope.

- Review date: 6/24/24, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com