Provident Label Group
Release Date: November 22nd 2024 / January 10th 2025
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Seph Schlueter– Stay (Gonna Be Okay) / Words We’ll Sing Forever (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Stay (Gonna Be Okay)
- Words We’ll Sing Forever
The other month (yes, in December, that crazy month where we celebrate Christmas and buy each other presents, some of them wild guesses to family members and friends we may not know enough about!), was the first time I wrote about up-and-coming worship artist Seph Schlueter. His song “We Sing (Joy To The World)” (a collab with Leanna Crawford) is a fantastic, inspiring and uplifting melody, and one to fill our hearts with joy, cheerfulness and optimism even if we’re not really fans of the holiday season. And while this song personally is a winner it’s now time to dive into something original from Seph. His 2024 project Counting My Blessings will be reviewed very soon; but for now, let’s look at the latter two singles “Stay (Gonna Be Okay)” and “Words We’ll Sing Forever” shall we?
The former track is a powerful, radio friendly ballad, where Seph channels his inner Mike Donehey of Tenth Avenue North, and fervently and emotionally relays to us all that even in the hard times, we’ll be ok as long as God stays with us, that ‘…when You pull me close, it’s like a light to my soul, don’t let me push You away, I need You and I know as long as You stay, I’m gonna be okay, the wind can blow but I won’t break, no matter the pain, You never runaway, and there’s no world where I’m not safe, as long as You stay…’. And while the honesty and vulnerability is ever present also in the next track, “Words We’ll Sing Forever” is at its core a worship song, whereby Seph emphatically and resoundingly delivers THE worship melody of the year thus far (although “The King Is In The Room” releasing next week might top that!), and sings about the everlasting truth about Jesus Christ, that we can and will ‘…praise the Father, praise the Spirit, paise the Risen One, He who was, He who is, He who is to come, Praise the Lion, Praise the Lamb, for all He is and all He’s done, we’ll sing these words forever…’.
A relatively new artist, and one that is youthful, not that jaded by the music industry, and brimming with passion, Seph Schlueter injects a vitality and zeal that I haven’t heard in a while; I suggest that “Words We’ll Sing Forever” and “Stay (Gonna Be Okay)” are tracks that demand to be listened to, no matter if you love worship music or not. Well done, Seph; I can’t wait to hear what’s next from you in the future! Maybe a full-length album next?
Score: 5/5
RIYL: Mac Powell, Tasha Layton, Matt Maher, Danny Gokey, Katy Nichole, Riley Clemmons