Main Review
If you do not recognize the name “Jeremy Riddle,” you have most likely heard his worship song “Sweetly Broken” which
has been sung in churches all over the country. Jeremy is back with the new album Furious, his third release and a record
that focuses on God’s love. When trying to describe that love, the best word Jeremy could think of was “furious.” Jeremy
Riddle says, “We tend to translate [furious] as angry, but I see it as a super-powerful force; stronger, deeper, broader than
our vocabulary can fully describe.” He also sees the word as being related to the description of the lion Aslan, the Jesus
Christ figure in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, who is said to be “not a tame lion; but He’s good.” In short, Furious
is about the strong, unfathomable love of God.
Furious actually begins on a soft note with “Fall Afresh,” a slow worship song asking the Holy Spirit to fill up our bodies. I
found the song to be a very nice opener to an album with the theme of God’s love. The following song is the title song
“Furious” which is very upbeat and full of excitement. As with the album, the focus on the song is on the Lord’s love,
saying, “His love is deep, His love is wide/ And it covers us/ His love is fierce, His love is strong/ It is furious.” Powerful
lyrics and a welcoming tune make this song very desirable to listen to. “Love Came Down” continues that same topic of
the love of God, but this one is more of a song of praise to the Lord.
“One Thing Remains” refers to God’s great love as never failing and always remaining, no matter the trials we are facing.
Jeremy Riddle sings in the bridge, “My debt is paid, there is nothing that can separate my heart from your great love.” That
love has acquitted us from being sent to Hell, as sung about in “Aquitted.” In the chorus, Jeremy declares that he will sing
about what God has done for us, and then encourages us to join him in proclaiming the Lord’s goodness. He again talks
about singing of God’s goodness in “You Are Good” in which he also says, “I’ll dance because You are good.” The song’s
rhythm makes the listener want to start dancing to the Lord as well!
With a piano-based melody, “Walk In The Promise” speaks of waiting for the presence of the Lord to come over us.
Towards the end, the music becomes drum/guitar-driven, and Jeremy sings of lifting our God up. The topic of “One Thirst”
is Christians looking forward to the day when we will see God’s glory in full power. Jeremy refers to this moment that we
are waiting for as our “one thirst and hunger.” Following the very slow song is “Glory To The Lamb,” an upbeat praise and
worship song about glorifying our Lord.
Jeremy express his need for nothing but God in “The Lord Is My Shepherd.” The line in the chorus that says “the Lord is
my Shepherd and I want for nothing” sums up the entire theme of the song. Perhaps the slowest songs on the album
come next, starting with “Here,” a song in which Jeremy Riddle praises, and expresses his love for, the name of the Lord.
In “Always,” Jeremy sings about waiting for the Lord’s love. Following the two slow songs comes the album’s closer
“Nations Rage”, a much more upbeat song that begins with Jeremy talking about nations going against our God. He
switches in the chorus to singing of God’s majesty and power, praising Him.
Closing Thoughts
Worship music has become a very popular genre in the world of CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). The best part of
this genre is that there is hardly anything negative one can find in it. The message is always beautiful and music is not
usually a problem. Still, some worship songs succeed better than others, and I would put these songs from Jeremy
Riddle’s new album in the former of the two. Furious contains great songs talking about the love God has for us, and this
is really the only thing that matters in life. Without the Lord’s love, Jesus would not have died for us and we would never
have eternal life. Thus, it is nice to listen to a record that’s entire focus is on this topic. Furious is an album that all
Christians will enjoy listening to!
Review Written By: Justin Morden [justin.morden@christianmusicreview.org] on 9/18/2011
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