Audrey Assad - 'The House You’re Building'

President Teddy Roosevelt has often been quoted as saying "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Audrey Assad does just that on her debut album, The House You’re Building. She isn't yelling about how great Jesus is from her rooftop and she's not filling our ears and hearts with generic sentiment and platitudes. Instead, she dug deep into her own walk/life and shared them with us, the listeners. Audrey quietly delivers powerful emotion and, much like Casting Crowns, makes you look into the mirror of your own soul to see just what lies beneath. Be warned though - you may not be as squeaky clean on the inside as you would like to believe.

Audrey Assad talks to God and she graciously shares those conversations with us on her debut album, The House You’re Building. A cross between poetry and her own version of the Psalms, those conversations, while beautiful in their own right, also demand that the listener look a little deeper inward toward their own walk and spirit.

Not perky nor solemn, Audrey delivers a project that is worship yes - but a raw and honest worship that is almost confessional in nature. There is heartache, heartbreak and pain mixed with the joy of knowing that through it all, God still loves us and our warts and foibles - just like real life and right up my alley!

"Show Me," my favorite track, is my theme song for 2010 ... all I can say is wow! "Come Clean," another fave, has a little more umph musically (not just Audrey and a piano) and asks a question we've all asked at one time or another - How did I get here and where do all of these pieces of me go? This tune really hit home because I've done that soul-type house cleaning more than once in my life. I call it wading through the garbage to find the gold nuggets.

A gold nugget ... that is the best description I can think of for The House You’re Building. In a culture where oftentimes, the look of the Christianity "mask" that people wear is more out front than their faith, Audrey Assad doesn't just refuse to wear the mask, she bares herself down to her core for us all to see. This amazing young woman has a lot to say and we're all the lucky recipients of it.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.