Album Review - Lincoln Brewster's Real Life!

In every group of friends that we have, there's always that one crazy, slightly kooky, boisterous person who adds to the atmosphere just by being there. You know, the one who has a comeback from every mock insult (usually side-splitting), the one whose voice/laugh you can hear from a mile away, the one who always seems to take a bad situation and turn it around.

Now imagine one day, this one friend turns up at a gathering looking somewhat forlorn, and lacking the usual exuberance and energy that he or she always exhibits.

Naturally, everyone else takes it as a sign that's something's wrong. Now imagine that person's answer: "No, nothing's wrong. It's just that I've been thinking about life and what it means lately, and I'm giving a lot of thought to what I really want to do with my life."

How do you respond?


You're probably intelligent enough to know that I'm about to draw some sort of parallel between this somewhat cheesy anecdote and the album review.

Lincoln Brewster's past albums have always been like that one boisterous friend - insanely energetic, (sometimes) over-the-top, unreserved in his expressions of praise and worship through music and lyrics.

And then one day, he comes along with Real Life - quieter and simpler, and with no small degree of introspection and self-review.

How do you respond?


Like me, you'd probably not be very used to it for a while. In fact, you'd probably find it kinda strange and out of the ordinary.

But then, like me, you'd probably realise that there's really nothing wrong with a little quite introspection. In fact, it's quite necessary (more for some than for others I say). And you'd learn to appreciate that friend so much more, for being willing to show a more personal and vulnerable side of themselves to you.


Songs like More Than Amazing, Loved By You and Whom Shall I Fear (on which he dueted with the increasingly popular Kari Jobe) all reflect the songwriter's awe and amazement at the wonder of God and His goodness.

The more uptempo songs like Best Days, Reaching For You, So Good and I Belong To You are vintage LB, though even here it's easy to tell that there is a measure of control being exercised - there's no crazy exuberance like in Today Is The Day, but the rhythms and melodies are still infectious and will get you feet tapping, and the guitar solos are, as always, incredible (and also incredibly hard to replicate, for all you guitarists out there).

And then 2 songs stand out from the crowd.

The song Real Life is a portrait of LB's, well, real life, beginning with his childhood with an alcoholic and sometimes violent father, and how his mother protected him and introduced him to music. It then gives us a snapshot of his life as it stands right now (a loving wife and boys to raise). It ends with a vision of heaven and how he hopes his life has meant something - "I hope I leave a legacy / I hope that God is proud of me".

Made For More is, by far, the most honest song on the record. Here, LB (and a stripped down guitar track) lays bare his thoughts about fame and status ("Never thoughy my gifts would steal my worth / I never wanted fans just wanted church"), and his realization that he was truly created for more than the temporary distractions of this world.

The album ends on a triumphant note with Shout For Joy, a soaring declaration of how Jesus is the saving one.


My final take on this album?

It's LB showing us a deeply personal side of himself we've never seen before, but the great thing is that he never makes it about himself - but always about God.

The slightly laid back feel of the album fits in perfectly with the message being conveyed, while the guitar solos somehow just seem so organic, and never egregious. It's almost as if the guitar was an extension of his voice, and his masterful control of it makes every solo sound like an opus of praise and worship, richly emotive but never jarring.

My only negative takeaway from listening to the album is that it just feels too short. It's over before you know it.


But given the quality of this album, chances are you'll be putting it on repeat for quite some time to come.


Final score: