Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars [iTunes link]
It may be for the simple reason of being from my home state of Florida, but I am really excited about this band.
I first caught wind of Orlando-based Bellarive in late 2011, while visiting another church in the Tampa area. I heard the worship leader at that church sing “Love Has Found Us,” and it felt like a breath of fresh air in the world of worship music. Or, perhaps more accurately, a genuine breath of fresh air.
That is what is most striking about Bellarive. While their sound isn’t completely earth-shattering or “new,” it is fresh, well-executed, and above all else, genuine. There is a good balance of guitars, strings, the unmistakeable sound of the Rhodes keyboard, and hints of synth backing tracks. These sounds are not foreign to music today (worship or otherwise), but while one could call them “safe,” one can also easily tell that the band places quality musicianship behind these instruments.
The depth of The Heartbeat does not end here, however. Among the album’s twelve tracks are, surprisingly, an instrumental track called “Sing.” There is a simple refrain that can be sung to this song (at the time of this writing, you can here it on the band’s website), but the refrain is absent on the album. An interesting choice, especially considering the song title, as well as the opening sequence of the song (which contains the melody of the Doxology). I love instrumental tracks, and short of the David Crowder*Band, I can’t think of many bands that produce them. Just another small breath of fresh air.
The most striking portion of the entire album, however, is contained in the song “Tendons (The Release).” About midway through the song, bassist Josh Luker inserts a poetic spoken-word section of the song that is both jarring and genuine. According to Luker, the piece came from a extremely difficult and personal time in his life, but it speaks to the ultimate deliverance we find in God. The sheer fact that the band would insert a spoken-word piece in a song is outside the norm, but to have it be a poetic statement rooted in a very personal experience of one of the band members? It’s certainly unique, and it speaks to thinking outside of the norm in the worship setting.
Yet, this album passes many “litmus tests” for me, as a worship leader. Many of the songs seem fairly accessible for corporate worship. The sound of the band is “radio-friendly” enough to be pleasing to most ears, but while still sounding slightly different than the majority of popular Christian music. Their songs have creativity and depth, but the subject of their songs (our God, and HIs Son) is also made explicitly clear. It’s a very strong first offering from this band, and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.