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 Brand New Day  In his second Maranatha! Music project, Butler extols God's presence and endless mercies and uses his guitar and unique vocals to paint the picture.Title cut "Brand New Day" might as well be called the Happy Song. Infectious movement from the bouncy horn intros by Vinnie Ciesielski and Steve Patrick, to the clean background vocal by LeAnn Palmore, Jovaun Woods and Jerard Woods highlight the encouraging lyrics. Israel Houghton joins in on the rock-infused "Gonna Lift You Up". Simplicity reigns on lullaby of sorts, "Tell Me" which strips down to the raw beauty of a man and his guitar —and demands an answer to a serious question: "Do you still love Jesus?" The equally as delicate "I Love to Worship" expresses the obvious. Butler is a worshipper, and is at home right here.  Daughter Jodie joins in on the simple balladry of "Mercy". Taking a cue from some CCM (or Adult Contemporary) musical dynamics, two-part harmony is a surprisingly welcome departure from the usual complex harmonies that gospel calls its own.Hymn classic "Oh Magnify The Lord" is given a new face at the hand of producer Luther 'Mano' Hanes. Nearly unrecognizable, yet still somehow not too great a departure from the original, from beginning to end the song takes you on so many turns that it takes your breath away. Butler has perfected the art of not giving you everything he's got. Not that what he presents isn't sufficient —it's practically overwhelming and practically perfect. But with Jonathan Butler you inherently know he has so much to offer that he has to mete it out to you, one helping at a time. On Brand New Day, you somehow get everything you need, and not enough at the same time. We're begging for more!
Email This To A Friend Maranatha! Music — reviewed by Melanie Clark —
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