Fair Trade Services
Release Date: June 10th 2022
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Hope Darst– If The Lord Builds The House (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- If The Lord Builds The House
Recently signed to Fair Trade Services, Hope Darst is a newish artist. Yet she is also a veteran singer and songwriter as well! Am I confusing you? Well, you see, Hope has been a songwriter and worship leader for her home church The Belonging Co recently, but prior to that, she has been traveling the world for a great number of years- actually over a decade leading worship with Women of Faith, Every Nation Ministries, Christ for All Nations and many more organisations. In 2010 Hope even released a 4 song EP (featuring Hillsong Worship’s smash hit “You’ll Come”), which has now been removed from the internet. In 2020, Hope dropped her Fair Trade Services label debut album Peace Be Still (which we reviewed here); yet the past month, Hope is back with her brand new single “If The Lord Builds This House”.
Written by Andrew Holt, Ethan Hulse, Jonathan Smith and Hope herself; the melody speaks about letting Jesus Christ be the builder of our lives. A CCM, radio-friendly melody, and a track that will fit right at home on K-Love Radio, Hope delivers a solid melody, but a track that doesn’t really ‘wow’ me. It’s a song that speaks about building our foundation that is life on Jesus- and having Him as the basis for everything we believe in and having Jesus as our cornerstone and our main ethos of all that we do. However lyrically, there can be issue with some of the lyrics. As Hope boldly proclaims in the chorus that ‘…if the Lord builds the house, nobody can tear it down, when it’s built on His name, there’s nothing gonna shake this ground…’; could it be that she is advocating for a stress-free life and literally no dramas or issues whenever we put our faith in Jesus. Jesus has said countless times in the Bible that when we are Christians, life won’t be that easy. And as so…. Does this melody provide us a rosy-coloured outlook on life- an outlook that’s too positive and too optimistic? Food for thought, but generally, this melody is moving, inspiring and thought-provoking- and so Hope has overall delivered a song that speaks to the heart and to the soul.
It isn’t known whether Hope Darst will continue to write and sing songs as a solo artist beyond this new single, and release more than one solo full-length album. Or will she continue to be at the Belonging Co.? Only time will tell, but for now, definitely listen to Hope’s debut album as a whole, as well as this lead single “If The Lord Builds The House”. Some songs on the 2020 debut album are skippable such as “Don’t Let Go” and “Start Over”, and some songs are far more enjoyable and biblically sound than others. However, on the whole, no doubt you’ll be blessed. And if you’ve first been introduced to Hope Darst from listening to “Peace Be Still” from Lauren Daigle, then…listen to this one! And when you’ve worn out that album, listen to “If The Lord Builds The House”. You’ll definitely gain something from this melody, and you’ll definitely be closer to God as a result as well! Well done Hope for much needed worship song, as well as your debut album! May God richly bless you with abundance in 2022 and beyond!
Score: 4/5
RIYL: Lauren Daigle, I AM THEY, All Sons & Daughters, Christy Nockels, Housefires, Kim Walker-Smith