Josh Lopez

Because Christ mandates in Luke 24 that repentance and atonement should be preached “to all nations,” and because census figures project that nearly one out of every three U.S. residents may be Hispanic within a generation, it is critical that the Christian music industry encourage and mentor bilingual worship leaders like Josh Lopez. With the release of Free to Live, Lopez, a Puerto Rican immigrant raised in the Bronx, proves he possesses the skills necessary to tend to the spiritual needs of a rapidly changing America.

It’s fitting that Lopez now resides in the border state of Texas, where Hispanic and American cultures are as intertwined as chili and onions on hot dogs. While this album is mostly mainstream Christian pop, it dips its toes in Latin waters, with three of twelve tracks sung entirely in Spanish. The single “Mi Salvador, Mi Dios,” translated by Josh Lopez, Martha Lopez, and Juan Carlos Rendon, is a Spanish rendition of Aaron Shust’s “My Savior, My God.” Whereas “Mi Salvador, Mi Dios” has a rock beat and threads of Spanish guitar, “Con Mi Vida” and “Jerusalem” are fully immersed in Latin rhythms and influence.

The English tracks are mostly mellow, mainstream pop arrangements with a hint of the sappy liquid characteristic of the ’80s. “I Need You Jesus” and “Great” have sustained, ghostly keyboards and ethereal harmonies reminiscent of Enya at her self-reflective best. “Great” is an interesting ballad, with an unhurried, relaxed pace that runs in the vein of the Katinas’ “Draw Me Close.” “You’re greater than my past / Greater than my mistakes / You’re greater than all my sin / You are my redeemer” (”Great”).

Lopez is an adequate singer and a competent songwriter, and his ability to convey a simple message with a memorable tune leans in the direction of congregational worship. Although the lyrics are predictable, “Just to Know You” (Lopez alone) and “God, You are God” (co-written with Mark Townsend) have the bones of good worship songs. “God, You are God even when I don’t feel You / God, You are God even when I don’t see You / I will worship, I will worship You” (”God, You are God”). On songs like these, with simple, repetitive phrases, it would be nice if Lopez sang the chorus in Spanish as well as English, which would be a useful resource for worship leaders ministering to a bilingual congregation.

Not that Lopez is limited to simple expressions of praise, as illustrated by “New Day,” an upbeat, tuneful song co-written with Townsend. “The heart is a bloom / December to June / The embers start to burn again / Night is falling / Dawn is breaking / I can see the light again … You broke down all these walls between us / It’s a brand new day” (”New Day”).

It’s not surprising that Lopez should write a song about renewal; his life is a story of God’s renewal, from knowing hunger and homelessness as a child, to fulfilling his destiny as a worship leader and advocate for the charitable organization, Food for the Hungry. Free to Live is an album that lives on the border, a bilingual blend of pop rock and Latin tracks infused with snippets of flamenco-style guitar that are out of this world. Or maybe just out of this country.

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