Curb Records

Release Date: September 8th 2023

Reviewed by: Joshua Andre

Love & The Outcome– Human (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)

Track Listing:

1. Human

Back in 2013, Word Label Group signed Canadian husband and wife duo Love & The Outcome, who have come to be one of my favourite duos ever- along with for KING & COUNTRY. Though Jodi King and Chris Rademaker have not had an easy road to recognition and prominence; both felt a calling on their hearts to make music, and thus began their trek across the border from Canada to the U.S more than a decade ago; into the great unknown and the vastness of uncertainty. Being from another country, they had to pack up their bags (literally), acquire a new place of residence, and say goodbye to everything they’ve ever known. Jodi has recorded a few albums as a solo artist (you can view the music videos here– all of the albums have been removed from the internet!), but eventually included her husband on one of her own unreleased solo studio albums, and then changed the direction of the album from a solo focus to a band focus. Thus, the journey of recording the self-titled debut Love & The Outcome, which released in 2013.

With the debut album having four producers (Seth Mosley, David Garcia, Jeff Pardo and Ben Glover), the seamless easy-to-listen 11 tracks of hope, testimony, and encouragement, wrapped up in the genre of pop, with plenty of upbeat tracks next to transparent heartfelt ballads; was one of my highlights of 2013. Jodi’s vocals are sublime all throughout, as is Chris’s guitar playing. And the lyrics are what really gets me; they’re very personal and emotional, not necessarily something you’d see on a debut album- probably a third or fourth album, but not a debut. That’s what makes these Canadians special, as they’re willing to branch out and defy expectations, and sing about real issues, even if these issues have a solution and especially if they don’t. Fast forward to now, and apart from a sophomore album These Are The Days and an expanded edition of that same album (read both reviews here and here!), as well as a Christmas EP and acoustic stripped down EP The Ocean Way Sessions; the duo returned in 2022 with their third full length studio album Only Ever Always– their most honest and vulnerable yet.

You can read our review of Only Ever Always here, and there’s no need to rehash old ground. Only Ever Always, aside from their 2020 EP You Got This, was technically Jodi and Chris’s first new original material release in 6 years- particularly because Jodi had a couple of kids and the duo just slowed down a bit as they breathed and watched their kids grow up- of which you only have one chance. And that is commendable. So with these 13 tracks, which were as powerful and inspiring as ever (and there wasn’t any rustiness whatsoever), and Jodi and Chris delving into relatable and relevant issues of today, the duo are now back this year with a brand new single called “Human”, an honest melody where they admit their faults and outline that Christians are human and we do have human-like emotions that all of us have.

I remember playing a show the week after our house flooded and the first thing that came out of my mouth when I stepped onstage was, ‘You don’t become a Christian and stop being human’. I think we’ve always embraced a pretty honest perspective in trying to vulnerably share with our fans what we’re going through, but what has shifted now is a letting-go of being ‘professional Christians’—the ones with all the answers who tie a bow on all the hard things.

We are human, transforming every day through our suffering to become more like Christ. We hope ‘Human’ helps people know that the story they are living is valid, and there’s no way to outrun God’s love for them. It’s ok to fall apart when you’re suffering. You’re not a bad Christian, you’re human.

With the song in essence being a song that allows us to feel all of our human emotions and to be as messy as we need to be in our lives in order to survive; Love & The Outcome encourage us to not beat ourselves up over every little detail. In fact, the duo encourage us to be honest and vulnerable and real. They also remind us that Jesus is with us and that sometimes His plans for us are better than our own. And so, as we stress out and worry about this and that- let’s remember that Jesus has everything in control, and that we can stress because that is a very human thing to do, but we can also know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is with us and that He will take care of us at all times and especially during the times in which we seem to be struggling.

For me personally, I love both all three of Love & The Outcome’s albums very much- with these songs being an extremely honest portrayal of the trials and tribulations of a young Canadian couple and how they’ve found life in America, and how God has remained faithful through every situation. So, after my analysis of this new song, should you all go ahead and stream “Human” on Spotify? Of course, you can never go wrong with some music from Jodi and Chris, who remind me of Britt Nicole vocally and Stu G musically respectively; and both of them ought to be congratulated, for recording their music after a long time away from the spotlight and both of them sounding never better! This melody is pretty cliché and CCM-esque, with their upcoming 4^th album presumably sounding musically similar to their first three… ; but as this band is still one of the best CCM bands out at the moment, let’s jam out to “Human” and wait on what is next. Well done guys, I can’t wait for what comes next in the future! A full length Christmas album?

The first edition of the book [You Got This] was me sharing my life on the road as a mom, ditching perfect and showing up for my real, messy life. It was my way of redefining ‘you got this,’ not as a phrase that means you have it all together, but as an invitation to show up even when you don’t. Going through a season of suffering completely changed me, so these new chapters reflect how suffering can lead us to a deeper, fuller life. God is good; life is hard; it’s not one or the other.

There are three books of the Bible dedicated to lament, so I found myself in good company as I turned to those pages. There is room in the Gospel for grief. God doesn’t require a fake smile or a pull-yourself-up-from-the-bootstraps strength. He works just as well whether you’re up on your feet, down on your knees or lying in bed. I needed the book to reflect that—the fact that if your life is hard, you’re not doing it wrong…you’re doing it right.

Score: 4/5

RIYL: Francesca Battistelli, Jaime Jamgochian, Lindsay McCaul, Sara Bareilles, Jamie Grace, Point Of Grace