Cory Asbury “Cover to Cover” Album Review

Prime Cuts: You're Still the One, I Hope You Dance, Landslide
Overall Grade: 5/5
Shania Twain, Fleetwood Mac, Counting Crows, Peter Gabriel, and Snow Patrol are as diverse as you can get in musical genres and eras. Yet, Cory Asbury has a way of drawing a gamut of styles and making them his own. Reimaging classic tunes, such as Twain's "You're Still the One," the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris," and Creedence Clearwater's "Have You Seen the Rain," Asbury has surrounded them with his rugged vocals and his folky guitar. The result, as a whole, is stunningly honest and strikingly therapeutic.
"Cover to Cover," as the titular indicates, is a cover album, a labor of love for Asbury. For the uninitiated, Asbury was a former signee of Bethel Collective. Asbury's sophomore single for the label, "Reckless Love," became his first No. 1 single on the US Hot Christian Songs chart in March 2018 and went on to peak at No. 3 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100, thus becoming his highest charting entry in his career. Billboard ranked the song as the biggest Christian song in 2018 and the fourth biggest Christian song of the 2010s. Though he has had various radio singles after "Reckless Love," no other song could match that success.
Taking a break from recording his original material, Asbury recorded a non-Christian cover album. However, many of them have inspirational messages. Lee Ann Womack's 2000 "I Hope You Dance" speaks of how we can face trials with a positive and hopeful disposition. Meanwhile, the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" has such an emotional resonance that it gives the most explicit articulation of what a soul that longs for love looks like. Asbury approaches Counting Crowns' "Round Here" with a Bruce Sringsteen-esque storytelling style; the struggles of the song's protagonist has never been more palatable.
Shania Twain's "You're Still the One" is often noted for its pop-glossy bubbly sheen. With just his guitar, Asbury reconstructs this pop-country ballad into an edgy Neil Young-esque love song that comes with an unencumbered gravitas. Rivaling the Chicks for the best cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide," Asbury's take hits an emotional bullseye. After countless (and unsuccessful) tries to come up with yet another Christian hit, one is glad Asbury has taken a break to record this gem of an album. Listen to his gripping delivery, and believe in this man when he sings these heart-churning songs.
Tags : Cory Asbury “Cover to Cover” Album Review cory asbury bethel music
Hot Trends
-
Joy Williams Reveals the Real Reason Behind Civil War's Breakup
-
Matt Maher Reveals How Johnny Cash & Roy Orbison Inspired His New Song
-
The LeFevre Quartet Announces 20th Anniversary Concert Celebration
-
Story Behind Chris Tomlin's New Song "Is He Worthy?"
-
"The Chosen: Last Supper" Opens At Number 3 at the Box Office
-
Amy Grant Returns with a Collection of Deep Cuts
-
Franni Cash, Formerly of We The Kingdom, Signs with Capitol CMG
-
Faith-Based Movie "Pursuit of Freedom" Tells the Real Story of How an Ukrainian Woman Sought for Her Missing Children
-
Bethel Music's Kalley Heiligenthal Remembers Daughter Olive Three Years After Her Passing
-
Doyle Lawson Premieres New Song "We'll Never Walk Alone"
-
Sandy Blythe Introduces Us to the Blythe Family & Their New Album "Making Me Stronger"
-
Southern Raised to Celebrate the Nuptials of Two Group Members
-
Anthem Edition Offers a Powerful Testament with “Still Under His Feet”
-
Here Are the Lyrics to Chandler Moore's “Lead Me On”
-
Jimmy Fortune, Ben Isaacs, Bradley Walker, and Mike Rogers Forms Brothers Of The Heart With New Album Coming
Most Popular
-
Joy Williams Reveals the Real Reason Behind Civil War's Breakup
-
Matt Maher Reveals How Johnny Cash & Roy Orbison Inspired His New Song
-
The LeFevre Quartet Announces 20th Anniversary Concert Celebration
-
Story Behind Chris Tomlin's New Song "Is He Worthy?"
-
"The Chosen: Last Supper" Opens At Number 3 at the Box Office
-
Amy Grant Returns with a Collection of Deep Cuts
-
Franni Cash, Formerly of We The Kingdom, Signs with Capitol CMG
-
Faith-Based Movie "Pursuit of Freedom" Tells the Real Story of How an Ukrainian Woman Sought for Her Missing Children
-
Bethel Music's Kalley Heiligenthal Remembers Daughter Olive Three Years After Her Passing
-
Doyle Lawson Premieres New Song "We'll Never Walk Alone"
-
Sandy Blythe Introduces Us to the Blythe Family & Their New Album "Making Me Stronger"
-
Southern Raised to Celebrate the Nuptials of Two Group Members
-
Anthem Edition Offers a Powerful Testament with “Still Under His Feet”
-
Here Are the Lyrics to Chandler Moore's “Lead Me On”
-
Jimmy Fortune, Ben Isaacs, Bradley Walker, and Mike Rogers Forms Brothers Of The Heart With New Album Coming