With help from friends like Jesse Butterworth (of Daily Planet), David Mullen, and others, Williams has hand-crafted the majority of songs on her sophomore album. Bannister utilized more traditional "band" sounds, abandoning the semi-programmed sounds on her first disc. (Guess that means she's no longer Joy "Electric." Sorry, couldn't resist.) She even displays some rock sensibilities at moments (see "Surrender" and "Wish"), all the while treating us to that terrific voice that sounds so effortless.
Thematically, of course you'd expect Ms. Heart-On-My-Sleeve to shoot straight from the hip, and you wouldn't be wrong. But she turns out to be quite the talented songwriter, not simply settling for the easy musical fix, and even leaning towards heavier themes like the passage of time, God's goodness through life's highs and lows, and giving up on our desires to make way for God's.
The highlights: the fun, rollicking "New Day," which opens the album; the beautiful, inspiring "Every Moment," which could easily be pitched as a mainstream single; the guitar-heavy, funky "By Surprise," which bears Butterworth's unmistakable melodic imprint; "Wish," which shows off her most poetic and artistic side; and the hymn-like "The Love of the Lord Endures," which tastefully closes the album.
- Robin Parrish
