Cracker Barrel Old Country Store sent me the album to listen to this week. At first thought honestly, I was just a tad confused. I knew Cracker Barrel has had a long-standing relationship with music. I wasn’t sure what the depth of the relationship was. I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised when I discovered that they were going to release a deluxe version of MercyMe’s “LIFER” album and it would be sold exclusively in stores across the country. This was an opportunity for both the restaurant and the band to reach families with a positive message and a good meal. I think that’s a win-win, but I wanted to see if the album was a good one.
As anyone who reads my pages here knows, I am a self-confessed obsessed music fan with strict rules about what albums I will spend time with. I joke with friends that after a life at Atlantic Records, there are only four kinds of music.
They are as follows:
- Music that makes me money.
- Music that loses me money.
- Music I hate.
- Music I love.
MERCY ME’s ‘Lifer’ falls in category four. The album is just wonderful. No, I am not just saying that. The group walks in and takes a seat in your company and unfurls a story of faith, struggle and joy.
The “LIFER” Track Listing takes you on a journey of the soul with the songs below:
- Lifer
- You Found Me
- Grace Got You
- Best News Ever
- Even If
- Hello Beautiful
- We Win
- Happy Dance
- Heaven’s Here
- Ghost
BONUS Tracks:
- A Little Hope
- Sing
- His Eye Is On The Sparrow
The album knocks it out the park. By the end of track two, ‘You Found Me’s end, it’s as if rays of sunlight have broken through stormy clouds. The lyrics hit a place in the soul that an adults often shy away from when living day to day.
Take a look:
When I was a child I spoke just like a child/ Playing childish games like hide and seek/Doing everything tryin’ to hide my shame/That’s when I heard Your voice calling out to me
Whereas some bands seek to sustain their season in the limelight by repeatedly reinventing themselves, Mercy Me just keeps doing what it does best: reloading album after album with great music, inspiring lyrics all while acknowledging the struggle of life while faithfully pointing listeners toward God. The song ‘Even Me’ will pull every heartstring and bring you to a place of prayer that even the hardest heart will surrender to.
I do believe one of the chanciest cuts on the bonus album is the ever-popular standard ‘His Eye Is On The Sparrow’. I firmly believe that this song isn’t for everyone and you will be pleasantly surprised with the band’s delivery.Mercy Me’s powerful proclamation reminds listeners that God is present in the darkness, and that He longs to rescue and redeem each one of us. The album finishes and ends with a joy that lets you know that guys will encourage you and they will ‘keep on singin’ for you’ and God.
Sometimes it’s difficult to clearly discern when a band’s lyrics are autobiographical and when they’re just a dramatic story. But listening to ‘Lifer’ it seems pretty obvious that the guys in have been through life and have experienced the true salvation and redemption Of God’s love. with those they love.
As an amazing additive and sign of encouragement Cracker Barrel is continuing their commitment to great music with the release of MercyMe’s ‘Lifer’. They are carrying the album “LIFER” in all 640+ stores nationwide and online at CrackerBarrel.com. The Cracker Barrel deluxe version features three new songs you can’t find anywhere else: “A Little Hope”, “Sing,” and “His Eye Is On The Sparrow.”
Take a moment, buy the new ‘MercyMe’ album ‘Lifer’ and explore Cracker Barrel’s plethora of music here https://www.crackerbarrel.com/music. I promise you will love the new ‘Lifer’ album and you will enjoy patronizing folks who genuinely love real music.
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