Independent

Release Date: August 24th 2018

Reviewed by: Joshua Andre

Anthony Evans– Reckless Love (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)

Track Listing:

1. Reckless Love

“…if you have been hiding under a rock or living in a dark cave the past year, let me tell you something that you need to know. Cory Asbury’s song “Reckless Love” is THE song of the year. Twice winning at the K-Love Fan Awards recently (for worship song and breakout hit single of the year!), this track has been covered my many artists (both popular and indie!), as Cory’s recognition and popularity begins to explode, and exponentially skyrocket. While we as a site haven’t reviewed the album of the same name from Cory yet (shame on us!), the time has come where we cannot ignore what a massive impact this song has had on today’s worship culture as a whole- it’s time for us to talk about the song in general, and what better way to do it, than to focus on one of my favourite renditions of the track ever (yep, even more so than the original recording!)…”

This above quote, taken from my review of Cimorelli’s cover of “Reckless Love” way back in June, is something that I’d like to revisit, as this past week another brilliant cover of the smash hit song released (this time, by gospel sensation Anthony Evans, of The Voice fame); and is bound to impact the lives of many. In the past few months, we as a site have been slack in that the album Reckless Love from Cory Asbury still hasn’t been reviewed (it is coming, we promise!); however there’s still the strong sentiment there, that this song is a one-in-a-lifetime Holy Spirit anointed, God breathed melody that will move in and impact the lives of believers and non-believers alike. I’m sure the song has reached such a global scale, that maybe everybody knows this song, regardless if you follow Jesus or not, and I am positive that that could only be a good thing- it gives Christians a starting point to talk about their faith and answer any questions non-believers may have.

Theologically, there’s still some questions marks over the fact that ‘is God really reckless?’, however I reckon that this ‘nitpick’ is perhaps a moot point- Corey explains in a lengthy post that it’s actually describing God’s love from man’s point of view. Regardless if we believe this fact or not, there’s no denying the power of the music and the lyrics here, and it’s echoed brilliantly in Anthony’s sublime gospel infused 6-minute version (which includes a surprise and uncredited refrain of the chorus of “Good Good Father” in the middle!). If you want to know who Anthony Evans is (I’m not really not going to go into all of his history and biography), you can read up on him on Wikipedia, and read our reviews of Real Life/Real Worship and Back To Life– this review is to further reflect the power of the song and point to Jesus; not focus the attention back on Anthony! But let me tell you that Anthony is a man of great influence, having shared the stage “…with Kelsey Grammer, Zooey Deschanel, Jane Krakowski, Taye Diggs, and Rebel Wilson…in the acclaimed production of “Beauty and the Beast,” at the famed Hollywood Bowl this Summer…”, so I reckon this cover can reach quite a lot of listeners (and some of them not even believers yet!), so kudos to Anthony for sharing his beliefs very overtly even if it could lead to discrimination and ostracization.

“…God does not necessarily take us directly from point A to point B. In today’s culture we often want immediate gratification, and if we are not getting somewhere in a straight line, it can be very frustrating. I want to encourage the reader to enjoy the zigzags of the journey …  Each zig and each zag represents growth, progression and learning trust … God is in every corner, and in every unexpected place…” The power of “Reckless Love” the song can only increase, and for each cover out there, that’s a big plus as a potential tool for us believers to try to grow that kingdom of God. While some of us many not agree with how the song is lyrically portrayed, especially in the chorus; there’s no denying that lives will be changed, if not already. So as we marvel at how God is moving, let us remember that this is the start of something special. Maybe in the future someone in the ‘mainstream’ music industry will cover this song. So let us be a part of the incredible journey then, of how “Reckless Love” impacts lives; and watch God at work. As for Anthony Evans– let us support his music also, as he’s an inspiring artist and firm believer in Christ, and you all can check out his new book Unexpected Places: Thoughts On God, Faith and Finding Your Voice out now, as well. Now…off to encourage Jon to start his Reckless Love review; or write it myself!

Score: 4.5/5

RIYL: Elevation Worship, Leeland, Israel Houghton, The City Harmonic, Meredith Andrews