Sanctus Real formed in Toledo, Ohio in 1996. They released their major label debut SAY IT
LOUD in 2002. Some of their better known
songs are ‘I’m Not Alright’, ‘We Need Each Other’, and ‘Lead Me’. RUN (2013, Sparrow Records) is their sixth
studio album. The three producers used
were Jason Ingram, Seth Mosley, and Christopher Stevens. Lead guitarist Chris Rohman shares: “Making
music for the sake of making music never made sense to us. Our mission was so clear at the beginning it
was almost unspoken. It has been so
natural for us to create music that reflects a life lived through faith in
God.”
The title track ‘Run’ is a song of encouragement: “Don’t
lose heart when you’re feeling low/When the road looks long and you don’t
know/If you have the strength to make it home/You’re not on your own/You gotta
run, run, run/Into the arms/You gotta run, run, run/Into the arms/You’ve gotta
run, run, run/Into the arms of love.”
‘On Our Own’ is a strong statement regarding our total dependence on
Christ: “We cannot make it on our own/We need You everywhere we go/You are the
hope of so much more/Jesus, without You/We cannot make it on our own.”
‘Promises’ is the album’s great lead single. It begins with these words all can relate to:
“Sometimes it’s hard to keep believing/In what you can’t see/That everything
happens for a reason/Even the worst life brings.” The song goes on to offer this advice: “If
you’re reaching for an answer/And you don’t know what to pray/Just open up the
pages/Let His Word be your strength/And hold on to the promises.” Lead singer Matt Hammitt says: “Prayer is
something that a lot of people, including myself, struggle to prioritize. Our hope is that this song encourages people
to cry out to God about what’s going on in their lives and in the world.” ‘Pray’ is an adult contemporary ballad. Here are some of the words: “I’ve failed to
find the time/But You’ve been calling out/I let the days go by/As if I could
live without/But it’s gotta be here and now/I won’t be pulled away/’Cause it’s
just you and I/So let the world around us fade.”
‘We Will Never Give Up’ is another adult contemporary
ballad. It speaks of a single-minded
spiritual vision: “We will fix our eyes on the One who lasts forever/We will
hold on tight to the only real treasure/We will not lose heart/We will not lose
hope/We will give our lives to the One who will last forever.” ‘Nothing Between’ admits to a certain amount
of frustration with God and His ways: “I’m miles away/From seeing the story
You’re writing/When You give and You take/It’s hard to embrace Your timing/When
I’m watching the walls/Burn to the ground around me/I just want to know what it
is/You’re trying to show me.”
A lovely love song ‘Commitment’, penned solely by Matt Hammitt, is next: “Oh, I want
to finish/The life we’ve started/I want to be two old beautiful souls/Who
stayed with it/And in those times our feelings fade/I’m gonna give you the one
thing/That makes all the difference/Commitment.” Sarah Macintosh is one of the co-writers of
the fresh, upbeat pop song ‘Keep Me Young’.
It is about having a love relationship with our God: “You’re the
fountain everyone’s after/The promise of love forever/Time slips away/But
You’re holding me/So it’s all right/There’s nothing more sure than this
romance/Nothing better than my heart in Your hands/Who can keep me from a love
that lasts?/No one can.”
‘One of Those Things’ reveals what’s at the heart of this
band: “I’m gonna tell you why we keep on singing about/Love and faith in the
things that so many people doubt/Oh, there’s a fire in us that burns from the
inside out/And we don’t need to water it down.”
‘Better Than This’ is a happy sounding number that speaks of a peace
that passes understanding: “It burns deep inside/Changes your world one day at
a time/It grows in your soul/And it reaches the places you thought you could
hide/Joy make you shout into the silence/Makes you want to dance in the hardest
times.”
Jonathan Smith plays mandolin on ‘Picture of Grace’. This song contains the following admission
that we need divine intervention: “We believe in something bigger than our own
lives/We’ll keep reaching/For Someone who’s stronger than you and I/We need a
Savior/The One who can heal what is broken tonight/Just one touch/Just one word
could set everything right.” The following
words from ‘You are God’ should keep us from spiritual pride: “You saved us not
because/Of anything that we have done/But only by Your mercy/And Your great
love.”
There is no doubt that the musicianship here is skillful and
that the vocals are smooth and easy to listen to. There are a lot of songs here well suited for
daytime Christian radio and that are family friendly. I’m rating RUN 82%. Fans of artists such as Matthew West, U2, and
Newsboys will enjoy this one. For more
info visit www.sanctusreal.com and www.sparrowrecords.com.