Review

Precious. Thats the word I have for this offering. Precious, as well as surprising. On this rare occasion we are treated, not only to the songs, but also to the songwriter himself, explaining, with great passion, how his songs came to be. When you put the CD in your computer you get over two hours of Jason, down at the local eatery, ostensibly telling what was behind each song. This portion, added, Im sure, as a neat bonus, morphs from extra to extraordinary. I sat enthralled listening to his wisdom and teaching. Jason is one of a rare, but burgeoning breed of worship leader/pastor/teachers. His insights are really incredible. So, do not fail to set aside time for this when you pickup this album. My only complaint is that this part isnt available as audio only or DVD, giving it greater opportunities to be heard and seen.

Jason has released six albums prior to this one. Several of those have been live worship times. Great River Road is a masterful studio album. While he leads from the keyboard, the guitar work of Brandon Hampton is crisp and clean, bringing nuance to the songs on which he plays. Im also delighted by the use of the cello on four tracks, as well as Don Potters mandolin. Perhaps most poignant on the album is the partnership with Native American singer and musician Bill Miller. He doesnt just add flavor. He weaves a different color thread through the fabric of the song. It turns out that Jason Uptons natural father was a Sioux, but youll get that story when you get the CD!

This has been a difficult album for me to review from the point of view of a worship leader. The collection of songs, as a whole, is very good. I will add here, parenthetically, that five of the nine songs are found on earlier albums, and have been redone for this project, along with four new ones. They are all beautiful songs. But I dont know how many of them will find their way to the Sunday morning worship service. The songs storytelling quality may be a little bit ahead of their time. All over the world, Christian services feature, more and more, the illustrative narrative. The musical part of the worship service, however, remains in the to God/about God domain, and for, largely, good reason. The songs on Great River Road are about God as well, and even somewhat to God (and in the strictest sense they are definitely a gift to God, from Jason). But they take you to His throne in a different way than, say, Here I Am to Worship or You Are Worthy of My Praise. In this case, you will be transported by word pictures to which you will you will say Me, too.

The title track kicks off the album, but you have to know a little bit about it to really appreciate it. Jason tells the story of how eagles dont fly in the winter. They hunker down and, basically, tough it out. Jason points out that they dont flee the winters of their lives, they stay and embrace them. That is a wonderful word picture, knowing that the same animal that the Bible says we will soar like, are fully submitted to facing the tougher parts of their existence.

The Road to Emmaus is one of my favorite songs here. Upton puts us in the place of the two men walking to that day, sober and sullen after their supposed savior had been crucified. How often we walk with the same disappointment that comes from a lack of understanding the truth. This is one of the enduring appeals of Jasons songs. His words help us see something that has been hidden in plain view.

This review will not be able to convey to you the brilliance of the work or the depth of the man. I do urge you to consider adding this to your collection. It will become a favorite personal devotion album, and you will find yourself listening to his stories on your computer and not growing weary.

Review by John Ausmus