Reviewed by Tim Holden

'Brave' is an album with its heart on its sleeve - it is a wonderful pop/rock romp looking at living life with God in control even when things are hard and the future unclear. Young as she is, California's Moriah has faced some recent challenges including a battle with serious illness. The title track opens proceedings with a deceptive vocal and piano intro that soon gives way to power chords and Moriah's rich vocals. The clever arrangement is a perfect setting for the lyrics looking at how with God it is possible to be brave in all circumstances - and spawning a whole online blog of #youarebrave testimonies. The album continues in a similar vein with plenty of light and shade, lots of quite heavy guitars, percussion and rhythms flowing freely but never overpowering Moriah's vocals. The two quieter songs are probably the standouts. "Give Me Jesus" is a beautiful ballad with a nagging guitar riff bridge and "I'll Wait For You", a heartfelt duet about waiting for the right person, sung with her husband Joel Smallbone (For King & Country) who also co-produced the album with Seth Mosley (Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline). There are really no bad tracks on this album, and while it might not immediately grab the attention it is a standout album worthy of many listens.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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