Steven Curtis Chapman

By Debra Akins, contributing writer, GospelMusicChannel.com

Steven Curtis Chapman has spent the past 20 years churning out songs that have become nothing less than a soundtrack of life for Christians everywhere. But it is with his newest recording, Beauty Will Rise – which comes a little over a year after the tragic death of his 5-year-old daughter Maria – that Chapman gives one of the most honest glimpses into his soul as he shares some of the personal emotions he’s experienced over the past year.

Each one of the 12 new songs is raw and almost painfully vulnerable as Chapman explores his own grief and asks the questions we all want to ask when tragedy strikes. And yet in his own skillfully poetic way, Chapman is somehow able to weave threads of hope, promise and peace throughout the painful moments that pepper the album, echoing a faith that has had no other choice than to become more and more real.

Musically, Beauty Will Rise is a more organic, understated sound for Chapman, with the frequent use of cellos, piano and earthy guitars. And even the ache in Chapman’s own voice is more evident as he winds his way through such emotionally-charged songs as “Jesus Will Meet You There,” “Just Have to Wait,” “Faithful,” “SEE” and the title track.

Because we have all experienced some kind of suffering in our lives, Beauty Will Rise will undoubtedly speak to each of us in a profound way. As intensely personal as this recording is for Chapman, it will affect each person who listens to it. And hopefully it will offer the same kind of healing it has provided to Chapman – reminding us that in the most tragic of times – we are not alone.

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