Essential Records
Release Date: April 7th 2017
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
I Am They– Crown Him (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Crown Him
“…Sometimes we lose sight of the eternal purposes our lives carry. We can get so worried about our own agendas and building a kingdom for ourselves that we forget that it’s really not about us or our kingdoms at all.” Matthew 6:33 says, ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ Jesus wants us to come to Him before anything; to surrender and make Him king of our lives and He will always have our back. As people hear this song, we pray that they would be reminded that whatever it is we pour our lives into, it is meant to magnify and glorify God and crown Him as king over everything; our struggles, our burdens, our victories – even the songs we sing. May we live daily in His victory and for His glory…” Immediately making an impact with their self-titled debut album in 2015, as well as their hit singles “Make A Way” and “Resting Place”, both recorded in 2016; five-piece pop/rock/worship band I Am They are back, with a new single “Crown Him”, which is my opinion, is my favourite song this year. With the song led by Jon McConnell, we are glimpsed into a declaratory modern hymn of sorts, as the band remind us that Jesus is worthy of our praise and we can crown Him King of glory and Lord of all. A worship song at heart, and fitting to be released around Easter time, especially when we have more than enough reason to sing to God our praises because He rose from the grave; let’s hear my thoughts on this inspiring and powerful worship track, that just might find its way to a Sunday morning church worship service near you in the future…
Led by stirring acoustic guitar and vibrant keys, this hymn like melody hits the ground running in terms of lyrics, as Jon ardently cries out from the outset that everything we have is Jesus’, and ‘…we will crown Him, crown Him, King of glory, crown Him, crown Him Lord of all…it’s not my blood but His that stands in my defence, and oh what love is this that won the victory, He won the victory…’. Simple yet effective in their delivery, in my opinion I Am They have delivered a gem of a track, and if this is what their brand new album will sound like, them bring it on! I can’t wait to hear the new album later on this year!
“…In that chapter [John 17], Jesus is praying for his disciples and refers to them as ‘they.’ He’s praying and saying things like, ‘Sanctify them. Make them holy. They are not of the world because I am not of the world.’ He’s really interceding for his disciples. We are disciples of Christ and being disciples is just as important today as it was back then. We’re still here for the same purpose on the same mission with the same calling, bringing people to the Lord and spreading the news of the Gospel to people. We really wanted to incorporate that into our mission as a band, saying that anybody who is a believer in Christ is a ‘They.’ They are a disciple as well so we can stand together in that and really bring people into the ‘ I AM THEY’ family because we are all family in Christ…” There’s something truly magical about a song when you hear it for the first time, and realise that it’s your favourite song of a particular genre in months, or maybe years. That’s definitely the case with I Am They’s new track “Crown Him”. I could talk about this song for hours on end, but let’s just listen to the band create a near flawless tune that can be a modern hymn in a few years’ time! Well done guys, I can’t wait to hear more of what God has in store for you in the future!
3 songs to listen to: Not an EP or album, but you can and should listen to “Crown Him” at least 3 times, hopefully more!
Score: 4.5/5
RIYL: Love & The Outcome, Leeland, Tenth Avenue North, Building 429, for KING & COUNTRY