Shelter

If David had played an electric guitar instead of a harp, he might have sounded like this. Shelter is a captivating country/rock album by Canadian musician Shawn Cole. This CD has it all: strong vocals, superb musicianship, intelligent lyrics and heart.

With a voice like hot chocolate, deep, sweet and luscious, the various emotions of the songs resound with energy and vulnerability.

Joy reigns. You want to sing along, dance, and clap your hands. Throughout, the instrumentation effectively matches the mood of the lyrics. Special sound effects highlight lyrics. He explores the quieter side of country with acoustic guitar, and pushes into rockier territory with organ, electric guitar and energetic percussion. Shawn Cole himself provides the lead vocals, and plays guitars, bass, and drums. Equally talented band members back him up. Ben Karlstrom who sings backing vocals (blending naturally with the lead) is especially noteworthy, as he deftly handles guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, omnichord, and percussion. He also did the production, recording, mixing and mastering, coming up with top quality, well-balanced sound.

Solid theology is the foundation of these thoughtful lyrics. "All you Need" reflects compassion for human suffering:

My heart breaks when you are down,
yes my heart aches for you to come around
you'll never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.

In "Jesus Be" the deep meaning inherent in the words is the best example of Shawn Cole's poetry:

I bring my humanness, my brokenness,
my body of unbelief, in the disease of my humanity,
all I can pray is Jesus be.

We are reminded of God's appearance to Moses, stating, I AM. When you read the bio on his website you realize that it is out of his own tough times that these words spring.

A sense of fun permeates the music. You know these musicians are pouring their souls into it and are having a good time. From the first cry to God to pay attention to a needy human ("Hear Me Calling"), to a call for action ("Stand"), Cole deals with all dimensions of the Christian life: holiness, compassion, commitment, suffering, evangelism, praise, worship, forgiveness, mercy, joy. He has taken his own "sense of urgency" ("Stand") and poured it into the songs, inspiring us to do the same.

Shelter should appeal to all country/rock lovers, and others who enjoy upbeat worshipful music. What a deal at $15 Canadian (US$12). This album can be purchased from Shawn's website.

--Heather Beckmeyer for CelticChristianTunes.com