Reviewed by Matthew Cordle

Life.Church is a large multi-site church operating on 34 sites across 10 states of the USA and also publish the popular YouVersion Bible app. Reading the Cross Rhythms interview about the quantity of musicians/songwriters Life.Church is blessed with and the resulting 'problem' of having to whittle down songs from a large pool to those to be used in worship services, I'll admit I did experience a little pang of wistfulness! No doubt this process was even more time-consuming when deciding what would be recorded for this, the church's second release. 'God So Good' is a celebration of stories of God's goodness, the website stating, "Through the ups and downs, in the unknown, and even in our brokenness, we can declare his goodness." Consequently, the mood is exuberant joy, whether in bouncy or reflective moments, and the result is truly uplifting right from the opening title track that celebrates how God is such a dependable foundation, that he never gives up on his people. A couple of more EDM-inclined tracks provide musical variety, although in practical terms the rest of the songs would be achievable for most church music groups. The only observation I'd make is that the vocal range is at times just too broad for your average church congregation, so may not be good for getting the whole church singing enthusiastically. Two songs that particularly captured my imagination deal with God's creativity, not just demonstrated in the physical creation but also in how he deals with mankind: "Grand Designs" marvels at God's hand reaching down from the heavens, across a universe of wonder to sculpt the heart of man from dust as his grand design. . .followed by his stepping down into the ruins himself. "The Artist" reveals a picture of a painter painting the skies from nothing, just with spoken words, filling white space with colour, the poignant twist at the end of the painting portrayed in the words, "You craft something perfect despite my mistakes/My failures are met by the full force of grace/Your blood hit the canvas with one final stroke/The cost of redemption, your life for my own."

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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