Jon Bauer was born on March 1, 1977. He lives in Alberta, Canada with his wife
Andrea and their two kids. Jon has been
a worship leader for twenty years, performing in Canada, the U.S., Europe, and
Asia. He has toured with such artists as
Newsboys, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Francesca Battistelli. He has won 7 GMA Canada Covenant Awards and
has had one Juno Award nomination. In
addition, he has had 12 Canadian Christian radio hits. Jon’s 7th and latest studio album
is THE LIGHT IN US (Crossway, 2016). The
album was produced by Rusty Varenkamp, with whom Jon co-wrote all ten songs. In a press release, Jon states: “This album
shares a healing journey I have been on the last couple of years as I have leaned
on the faithfulness of God even when I have not felt Him near. In His time-not my own-He has brought
complete healing and has used the trials of this life as a testament to His
greatness. My prayer is that these songs
would draw others who are walking through a valley to press in even closer to
Jesus”.
Opening the album is ‘Your Love is Beautiful’, a terrific
modern pop song that begins with these words of testimony: “You broke the
chains that were secured around my heart/And tore down every wall/And it’s like
gravity had pulled my world apart/But You would break my fall/I can see/The sun
is rising on the horizon/From the sky/Down to the ocean/Love is in motion/We
will shout/Your love is beautiful (2X)”.
‘Light in Us’ is the cheery pop title track. It speaks of God’s goodness: “Through all the
doubt and the fears we’ve known/Your love is stronger and it makes us whole/We
can feel it now, feel it now/Joy is in our hearts, it’s in our eyes/Hope is in
our blood/It’s running wild/This fire can’t be hidden/It’s burning deep
inside/Oh God, You are the light/The light in us”.
‘You Just Want My Heart’ is a lovely ballad of spiritual
surrender: “I give You everything I am/I give You everything I’m not/You just
want my heart (2X)/I give You all that’s left of me/I lay it down cause I
believe/You just want my heart (2X)”.
‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ is an adult contemporary ballad that reminds
us to tend to the least of these: “There’s a man down on the corner/He can’t be
more than my own age/He’s tired of sleeping in his cardboard box alone/And I
don’t think he expects his luck to change.../There’s an orphan in
Uganda/Collecting bottles on the streets/And all he really wants is a chance to
go to school/So he can leave the slums for a better place to sleep.../This could
be the only shot/We could be all they’ve got”.
Next up is ‘Say Something’, a light rock number about those
times when God seems silent and afar: “Sometimes I feel all alone/I’m at the
end of my rope/I’m trying to keep my head above the water.../Will You come and
speak to me?/Lord, say something/Oh say something/I need to know that You are
here with me”. ‘Come Alive’ is a soft
country track of gratitude to God: “You paint the colors of the sky a different
shade/Creating beauty in my life that doesn’t fade/Each day now full of
wonder/And as I watch the pages turn and life unfolds/I feel the goodness of
Your hand and all it holds/Your Spirit greatly guides me”.
‘Even If (No One Can Separate)’ contains this bridge of
strong Christian testimony: “You have overcome the grave/You have broken every
chain/Our only hope is in You/You alone have set us free/You alone are all we
need/Our only hope is in You”. ‘Great is
Thy Faithfulness’ is not a cover of the classic hymn. This modern worship song does though, also
declare who God is and what He has done for us: “Your love is patient/Your love
is kind/And Your love brought me/Yeah, it brought me to the light/Great is Thy
faithfulness, oh my God/Your mercy is all that I see/Great is Thy faithfulness,
oh my God/And all that You’ve given to me”.
‘You are my Everything’ is a well-written love song to Jesus
Christ: “Forgiveness holds me to Your side/How I long to know You/Nothing else
will satisfy/For You are my refuge.../Glorious Lord/You are my desire, my
desire/King of my heart/You are my desire, my desire”. Last up is ‘Starts With Us’, a call to action
for Christians: “Let’s come together/Light it up tonight/Cause if the world
needs love/It’s got to start with us/Tear down the walls and break ‘em open
wide/Cause if the world needs love/It’s got to start with us.../So paint your
piece of the mosaic now/Let love make it beautiful/Sing your melody above the
crowd/Let love make it beautiful (2X)”.
THE LIGHT IN US is a marvelous light pop album heavily
influenced by modern worship and adult contemporary music. These ten songs will appeal to fans of
artists such as: Jason Gray, Jeremy Camp, and Bebo Norman. This is an album that has daytime Christian
radio written all over it. These songs
help us declare our love to God and also remind us of His love for us. Jon’s vocals are quite pleasant and the
instrumentation is skillful.
Instrumentalists used were: Ben Phillips, Jacob Lowery, Mike Payne, Peter
Mol, and Rusty Varenkamp. This record,
which I’m rating 100%, glorifies God and God alone! He is depicted as being actively concerned
about us and directly involved with transforming our lives if we let Him. For more info visit: www.jonbauermusic.com.