Meredith Andrews

Meredith Andrews is the worship leader for Chicago’s 12,000-member Harvest Bible Chapel, and her Word Records debut, The Invitation, clearly draws on her experiences as a worship leader to create an album of worshipful and hopeful songs. Singing with a confidence rarely seen in a debut artist and in possession of a sweet yet strong voice reminiscent of Nichole Nordeman and Katie Herzig, Andrews takes her immediately memorable songs and invites listeners to join in worship and celebration of God.

At first, it is tempting to push Andrews’ debut aside as merely another soft-rock worship album similar to hundreds of worship albums available today. The first two songs, “You Invite Me In,” and “Lift Up Your Head,” while establishing the invitation to worship present throughout the album, are a somewhat lackluster beginning. There is nothing there we haven’t heard before. Yet there is a more intense, transparent heart to this album that begins to emerge as the songs unfold. The remainder of the album takes the listener through many facets of life, both painful and joyful ones, and creates a revealing portrait of loving God and responding to His invitation to go through life with Him.

On the album’s lead single, “You’re Not Alone,” Andrews takes the listener to the middle of a conversation with God. The honesty woven through every line of the song is a welcome surprise. There is no façade of perfectionism here – life can be dark and full of real pain – yet God is the one entering into it all and saying, “You’re not alone/ for I am here/ Let me wipe away your every fear.” Now the tables are turned, and God is the one giving the invitation. In the midst of a Christian subculture that sometimes seeks to ignore pain or try to rise above it on our own strength, Meredith Andrews quietly puts the myth of self-sufficiency to rest. She never shies away from celebrating that it is only God’s grace that gives anyone who asks a fresh start. As “The River” says, with it’s haunting piano melody, “He was broken for the mocker, for the shamed…/Hear him call your name/Welcome to the river/Come drink/Come find your very life”. Come find your very life – powerful words, which helps make “The River” the album’s strongest track.

The only big misstep in the closing tracks is “Show Me What It Means.” Lyrically it stands strong, as Andrews asks God to help her follow Him through brokenness. But the arrangement features an electric drum beat and oddly upbeat chorus, both of which distract from the lyrics. It seems out of place, as though it was meant to be part of a different album entirely.

The album closes with a beautiful acoustic version of “You’re Not Alone.” For some artists, repeating a song on an album could be interpreted as filler meant to stretch the album length when creativity has run out. But here, the two versions of “You’re Not Alone” remind the listener of the heart of the album. God is here, in the midst of anger and hurt that may seem like they may never end. All He wants is for us to know His heart as He invites us to come in closer.

While it may not break dramatically new ground musically, Meredith Andrews’ The Invitation brings honesty and freshness to a genre often full of clichés and fake perfection. Her fresh voice and songwriting talents (she wrote or co-wrote every track) make her one to watch. This album shows the promise of a talent just getting started.

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