Centricity Music
Release Date: August 7th 2020
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Jason Gray – Glory Days (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Glory Days
Jason Gray, quite possibly one of Christian music’s most honest and heartfelt singer/songwriters, has had quite a journey, personal and musical, to get to the point he is in today. From being a stutterer (and still currently) to changing his last name from ‘Gay’ to ‘Gray’ in order to kick-start his music career; it has been his lyrical poignancy in quite possibly all of his songs to date that makes Jason possess an ability like no other, to write songs that are able to unveil his own vulnerabilities without any attack or stigma, all the while weaving into the songs a grace that reminds us all that amidst the guilt, shame, pain and hurt, God is still there. Songs like ‘Nothing Is Wasted’, ‘More Like Falling in Love’, ‘I Am New’ and ‘Remind Me Who I Am’ show us the comfort we need, that God redeems us continuously each day from the circumstances and events we are in. His 2018 EP The Kipper Gray Sessions, was a collaboration between Jason and his son Kipper, and was unveiled to be one of 2018’s most lyrically rich and musically enveloping (encapsulating a myriad of musical styles within the confines of the 5 tracks) EPs- the EP as a whole embodied themes of community, individuality, alongside embracing the journey instead of longing for the end point at a quicker time frame; as Jason brought with the 5 songs, musical arrangements that further asserts his presence as an underrated artist in today’s Christian music society. Which brings me to 2019, where Jason unveiled to us another offering of music. This time it’s a collection of songs, split up into three. With the whole entire project titled as Order Disorder Reorder and may probably have a TBA release date in sometime 2020/2021; Jason gave to us Order EP in August 2019, while Disorder EP was released in March 2020 as well.
There is a smart process in releasing a set of songs in 3 parts. The journey of being in the cycle of order, disorder and reorder is often a process that can take years for us, and thus, having the 15 track album split into three and each ‘volume’ focusing on one theme and letting that sink in, in a reflective way, for us, is the most logical. Jason himself is a powerful and fantastic lyricist, and thus, having time between volumes of his project I reckon will be a good thing, as we tap into his lyrics and reflect upon the themes presented in each of the 5 songs, understanding that the Christian is often full of twists and turns, and that in the end, we’ll look back and see the purpose of the windiness. Until then, Jason has given us these songs to hopefully sing in our own stories of order-disorder-reorder. Reorder EP is releasing in October 2020, and upon the heels of Disorder EP that featured standout songs like ‘Through’, ‘Remind Me You’re Here’ and a duet with Blanca, ‘New Song’, ‘Glory Days’, the first single from the forthcoming EP, just released digitally, August 7th 2020. There’s nothing much to be said about the song, except that below are two excerpts by Jason himself discussing the song and it’s meaning- one from Instagram, and the other from ccmmagazine.com. Both these publications wrote about the song than I could ever have, and thus, that is what I’ll do. Read these paragraphs by Jason below, and listen to the song. One of my own favourite songs of 2020 thus far, this is a powerful song about reliving glory days, and pondering that maybe, maybe, the days in which we believe to be our disappointment, are in fact glory days because we focus more on God and His divine character and nature. Read below and be inspired by such a song as this:
Even though Jason is still not necessarily the most recognised or even the most popular artist within the ranks of CCM currently (artists like Chris Tomlin, Natalie Grant, Francesca Battistelli and Matthew West receive much more radio airplay than Jason), Jason nevertheless forges on, as a songwriter whose songs have become the cornerstone of change in many people’s lives around the world, inclusive of mine. On the same roster as artists like Andrew Peterson, Jordan Feliz, Lauren Daigle, Unspoken, Jonny Diaz and North Point InsideOut, to name a few; Jason continues to anchor the roster, in both a songwriting and lyrical perspective, and his first EP in this series, Order and most recent EP Disorder are both testaments of this. Order EP was a perfect start to the Order Disorder Reorder music project process and Disorder came at a very ironic time in today’s global history with the coronavirus. And with ‘Glory Days’ releasing at a moment in history where we as nation and the world can sometimes believe into the fact that our glory days are behind us, we’re to be reminded that with Christ, they can still be in front of us, for everyone. As we apply not only the themes of ‘Glory Days’, but the themes of the other two EPs tour life, and see what the Lord is saying to our current situation at hand; we are reminded, that in light of our current global situation, Jason’s music stands tall to become one of the most compelling and introspective artists, alongside singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson, of CCM in modern music history. Well done Jason for ‘Glory Days’, here’s hoping and praying that people can be impacted and influenced in a positive way by the music, during this sombre and trying time!
Score: 4.5/5
RIYL: Andrew Peterson, Bebo Norman, Nichole Nordeman, Steven Curtis Chapman