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JFH Indie Review

JFH Indie Inspection Review

Brandon Hixson

Brandon Hixson
Now and Then

Street Date: January 10, 2020
Style: Pop Country
Official Site: Official Website
Buy It: iTunes
Buy It: Bandcamp



Brandon Hixson is one of those artists who's been around on the scene for a while (in his case, 20 years), has rubbed shoulders with the likes of MercyMe and Third Day, has seven albums under his belt, and yet is not a household name. Hixson, a worship leader from Texas, recently celebrated his 20th year in the industry with Now and Then. This collection is split into two halves: the "Now" side features 5 new tracks, while the "Then" portion highlights five previously released songs with a fresh coat of paint.

Hixson's style relies on a sort of country/pop sound throwing in occasional jazz elements thanks to his skill on the saxophone. One hears that and may imagine the possibilities, but Hixson doesn't lean into it too much for this record. The "Now" half holds songs about the benefits of a life in Christ ("Life With You," "Deepest Scar," and the highlight, "Your Love Lifted Me") and a couple tracks about using that life to the greatest good ("Reflection of the Cross" and the theologically rich "Like There's No Tomorrow"). The tunes are good CCM songs in their own right, though they don't offer much to stand out from most of what's on the radio. The challenge on an album like this, however, is whether or not the new songs stand up well to the older ones.

With that said, the "Then" side is much more eclectic. It starts off with a saxophone-driven dance number ("I Wanna Live (In the Light of Your Love)"), moves in to a steel-guitar laden track ("Someday"), features a haunting orchestral piece ("Hold On to the Dream"), and ends with a tune that feels ripped from the turn of the century ("I Know You're Out There"). Topically, things are less diverse. "I Wanna Live" and "I Surrender" both fall in line with messages from the first half, while the other three tracks deal with death and grief. I'm normally not one to knock a good song about death and grief, but these three threw me off some. "Someday" and "I Know You're Out There" both employ the theology of a person's spirit hanging around a loved one after death; that's more sentimental than biblical. It's one thing to say a person's memory resides in your heart; it's quite another to say their spirit is "out there" and watching over us like an omnipresent angel. You can almost overlook that sentimentality until you hit "Hold On to the Dream," a song about a dead mother's ghost watching her son grow up. It's simultaneously sweet and creepy. Likely this sentimentalism won't bother the target audience, but the topic is so prominent it feels worth mentioning. Otherwise, this B side comes off more interesting sonically, while the maturity of the lyrics is stronger on the A side.

An album like Now and Then can be beneficial for an artist in two ways: 1) it celebrates a milestone and gives longtime fans a glimpse of the future while relishing the past; 2) it can be a good entry point for a new listener to hop on the bandwagon and follow the artist going forward. Hixson's effort will likely delight his older fans while snagging some who enjoy his musical style. Whether or not it highlights his name on the map remains to be seen. The older tracks show fun variety musically, but suffer lyrically while the newer material feels average for the scene without doing much to grab attention. The promise is there, however, and perhaps in the next 20 years Hixson will tap into it.

- Review date: 2/19/20, written by John Underdown of Jesusfreakhideout.com



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This Friday, June 27, 2025
ALBUMS
7eventh Time Down We Praise You [BEC]
The Browns 25th Anniversary: Better Days Ahead [StowTown]
Franni Cash Wild Child - EP [Capitol CMG]
Matt Crocker interlude [Anotherland]
Jimmy Fortune Songs of an American Dreamer [Gaither]
Roxanne Grace Road Trip - EP [DREAM]
JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise The Live Reunion: Washington, DC [James Town]
Kutless The Seventh Seal - EP [BEC]
Evvie McKinney It Ain't Over - EP (independent)
Rusty Shipp Capsized Empire (independent)
SEU Worship A Forgiving God [Provident]
The Shimmering Carnelians The Doorway (Version 2.0) (independent)
We Are Messengers A Thousand Times - EP [Curb]

SINGLES
Anchor & Braille Rattlesnake - Single [Equal Vision]
ANTHNY imposter syndrome - Single [Provident]
Blanca Right On Time - Single [Curb]
Landry Cantrell & Elenee sunshine & rainbows - Single [DREAM]
Eddie Clark Never Content - Single [Syntax]
Colony House Atomic - Single [Roon]
Megan Danielle Preachin' To The Choir - Single [Provident]
Drea LP & OnBeatMusic Don't Try Me (DTM) - Single [Syntax]
ELI GABLE Glory Bound - Single [Capitol CMG]
Joseph Habedank Running to Me - Single [Daywind]
Lonnie Hunter Flow (Like A River) - Single [Uncle G]
Kashh Kade HELP - Single [Syntax]
KB x KEANU Keanu's Song - Single [Provident]
Tasha Layton Singing In the Dark - Single [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard The Hand That Keeps Holding - Single [Motown Gospel]
Claire Leslie Thank God I'm Not Alone (from Claire's Phone) - Single [Capitol CMG]
Tim Lovelace Celebration of America Medley (feat. Charlie McCoy) - Single [StowTown]
Lecrae Tell No Lie (feat. Jackie Hill Perry) - Single [Reach]
LO Worship The Perfect Love of Jesus - Single [Integrity]
Patrick Mayberry Thank The Lord - Single [Provident]
Michael Monroe John The Baptist (feat. Chris Renzema) - Single [Provident]
Alexander Pappas A Great Awakening / Un Nuevo Despertar - Single [Integrity]
PEABOD Summer in Seattle - Single [RMG Amplify]
Rave Jesus Walk On The Water Remix (From The Chosen) - Single [Provident]
The Rocky Valentines Nat Song - Single [Velvet Blue]
Tommy Royale, gio. Like Dat - Single [Capitol CMG]
Saints In Exile & Cutright My Dead End (ft. Jeannie Ortega, Luc DiMarzio, Jericko) - Single [Syntax]
Emilie Weiss Take Care (Studio Sessions) - Single [BEC]

DVD
Jimmy Fortune Songs Of An American Dreamer DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, July 4, 2025
ALBUMS
Chad Cory America [DREAM]
Tenielle Neda The Way Of Love [Wings]

SINGLES
Christian Back Now - Single [DREAM]



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