FFH released their major label debut I WANT TO BE LIKE YOU
in 1998. STILL THE CROSS (2004,
Essential) was their fifth major album.
It peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot Christian Albums chart. The group’s roster at the time was: Jeromy
Deibler (lead vocals, piano, guitar), Jennifer Deibler (lead vocals, background
vocals), Brian Smith (bass guitar, background vocals), and Michael Boggs
(guitars, background vocals). The album
cover is made up of small pictures of a bunch of different styles of crosses. In the liner notes the group writes: “No
matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, the message of the cross is still
the same. It’s a message of forgiveness,
a message of hope”. A Sinner’s Prayer is
included in the CD booklet as well.
‘You Drive I’ll Ride’ is one of three Jeromy Deibler/Brian
Smith compositions. It is an upbeat
pop/rock song of dedication to the Lord: “I’ve nothing left, but repentance and
a guilty plea/I’ve learned my lesson/No one ever handed me the keys to my own
story/I just took them for myself/OK, I’m sorry/You take the wheel, I will work
the radio/And You take the wheel/We’ll go where You want to go/And You take the
wheel/Take it fast, take it slow/Whatever You choose I’m fine/You drive, I’ll
ride”. ‘You Love Me Anyway’ praises God
for His faithfulness: “Your love’s amazing/It’s never changing/Whenever I need
You/You’re right on time/You love me constantly/Even in spite of me/When I mess
up time after time/And You never abandon me/You just keep loving me/When I try to
run and hide”.
One of the co-writers on ‘Without You’ is Aaron
Benward. It is a happy, breezy pop song:
“Without You, there’d be no sunrise/Without You there’d be no light/Without
You, there’d be no answers to the questions in my life/You bring joy in the
morning/You bring comfort in the night/In Your hand You hold the heavens/You
make everything alright”. The title
track ‘Still the Cross’ was penned by Jeromy Deibler, Scott Williamson, and
Donna Smith. It uses a 15 person choir
and The Nashville String Machine and was nominated for a Dove Award for
Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year.
Here are some of the wonderful lyrics: “When it all comes crashing
down/The cross still stands alone/And on this our faith is built/And our
courage is made strong/When the world falls apart and you fear for your
heart/There’s a tower of peace/It’s still the cross/So bring your sick and your
poor/And your longing for more/To the place of relief/It’s still the
cross/There is hope for the lost/It’s still the cross”.
‘You and Only You’ is a pleasant pop love song: “I try to
make something of my day/But I hopelessly drift away/To the place where we can
be alone again/I’ll never be the same again/All because of you, you and only
you/You and only you can take grey skies, make them blue/You and only
you”. ‘The Long Haul’ is a great ballad
about romantic relationships: “So many people just packing it in/They don’t
give it half a chance/Not me and you, we’ve got it all/And it’s gonna last/Oh
yeah, bring it on ‘cause/I’m in for the long haul/Bring on the fight/I will, I
will stand tall/With all my might/And face the wind and face the rain/And even
the pain/Through it all/I’m in for the ride of my life”.
Jennifer Deibler sings lead on ‘In This Moment’. It tackles loneliness: “Stuck here on this
highway in a river of red lights/For at least another mile, there’s no relief
in sight/Feeling all alone/But from the radio comes a singer to remind me
something I already know/In this moment You are here with me/In this moment You
are closer than the air I breathe/You’re the God who reigns in heaven/It’s
amazing indeed/That You are here with me in this moment”. ‘Cover Me’ places trust in God: “It hit me
from the blind side/It’s getting hard to breathe/It hit me from the blind
side/The hurt, it feels so deep/And I don’t have any answers/Your ways are
higher, Your love is stronger/And through this pain You’ll cover me/Your grace
is greater/When there are no answers/And through this pain You’ll cover me”.
‘All Part of the Walk’ is a bouncy pop song that uses a
baseball analogy to make its point: “I finally got in the game but got thrown
out at second base/Oh well, at least I tried/I can’t dwell upon these
things/What’s done is done/It can’t be changed/I’ll do my best next time”. Michael Boggs wrote ‘Another Day With You’, a
great love song: “Baby, it could never be commonplace/To put my arms around you
and be swept away ‘cause/You are beautiful under this wonderful amazing
sky/That I’m sure the Lord made just for you/And you are everything that I
could ever dream about/And I thank God for another day with you.../It might
sound crazy but my heart still skips a beat whenever you are sitting next to
me”.
STILL THE CROSS is a modern and relevant snapshot of one
walking out their Christian faith. The songs
express both a love for and commitment to God and one’s romantic partner. Though life is not always rosy, God is always
at the ready to help us through. Fans of
the pop and adult contemporary sounds of Avalon, PFR, and earlier era Point of
Grace will enjoy this album. It is
uplifting and encouraging! This is one
you’ll want to listen to time and again.
I’m rating it a perfect 100%. For
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