Jacquelyn ‘Jaci’ Davette Velasquez was born on October 15,
1979 in Houston, Texas. She released her
label debut, HEAVENLY PLACE, in 1996.
Over the years three of her albums have been certified Platinum and
three Gold. She’s had sixteen #1
singles, won 7 Dove Awards, had 2 Latin Grammy nominations, and 3 Grammy
nominations. In addition, she’s been on
over 50 magazine covers. Jaci’s newest
album TRUST (2017, Integrity Music) is her first in over five years. It was produced by David Leonard and Chris
Bevins and executive produced by C. Ryan Dunham. Jaci shares: “Trust is an underlying theme
for me as a wife and a mom. You can’t
have a relationship without trust. Like
my husband and I, there are no secrets and we trust each other no matter
what. The same is true with my
relationship with Jesus”. TRUST also
comes with a Spanish version of the album called CONFIO.
First up is ‘Trust You’ penned by Jaci, Aruna Abrams, James
Slater, and Bobby Hamrick. It’s a
marvelous pop song of personal testimony: “When there are storms, You make me
stronger/When I am drowning, You walk on water/I know You’re by my side and I
trust You/When my body’s shaking, my faith won’t be broken/You lift me up, my
heart is wide open/I know You are my light and I trust You”. ‘I Will Call’ places full confidence in God:
“When the world around me crumbles and falls/I’m not shaken because You hold it
all/Let the glory of Your power/Here be shown in my weakness, in my
weakness.../I will rest here in Your unchanging love/There will always be
enough/At Your table You fill my cup”.
‘God Who Moves the Mountains’ is the album’s first
single. It’s an adult contemporary
anthem about God’s power: “The rocks are falling, the broken calling/To the God
who moves the mountains/The earth is shaking, the weary waking/To the God who
moves the mountains.../You say speak, we say move/And You say watch what you
can do/You say trust and then You prove/You’re the God who moves the
mountains”. Martin Smith and Matt Redman
co-wrote ‘Great is Your Faithfulness’, a memorable modern worship song: “So
great is Your kindness, God/You are our shelter, our dwelling place/Your
presence like a fire/Hope for tomorrow, strength for today/When shadows
fall/You never change from age to age/You never change/Great is Your
faithfulness/Your faithfulness/Through the years You’ve always been there”.
‘It’s Never as Dark as it Seems to Be’ is a great adult
contemporary song of encouragement: “Here in this world there’s trouble and
pain/But through it all this promise remains/We have a hope that can’t be
undone/Our Savior’s alive and we overcome/It’s never as dark as it seems to
be/Lift up your head and you will see/The cross still stands, there’s
victory/It’s never as dark as it seems to be”.
‘Great are You Lord’ was penned by Leslie Jordan, David Leonard, and
Jason Ingram. Jaci’s husband Nic
Gonzales joins her for a duet on this terrific modern worship tune: “You give
life, You are love/You bring light to the darkness/You give hope/You restore
every heart that is broken/And great are You, Lord/It’s Your breath in our
lungs/So we pour out our praise/We pour out our praise.../So we pour out our
praise to You only”.
‘Lay it at the Cross’ is a pop song of spiritual invitation:
“Bring your heartbreak, bring your tears/Bring your grieving/Lay it at the
cross/Bring your questions, bring your fear/Bring your anger/Lay it at the
cross/Bring your battles, bring your loss/Bring your trials/Lay them at the
cross/Bring your future, bring your past/Every moment/Lay it at the
cross”. Jaci co-wrote ‘Rest’ with her
husband Nic and new artist Greg Sykes.
This sweet ballad begins with these prayerful words: “Slow me down
enough to hear Your voice/Speak Your words of mercy over all the noise/Quiet
the lies that blind me from the truth/I am Yours (2X)/Lord, I will rest in You
(2X)/Trusting in all You do/Lord, I will rest in You”.
‘Praise the King’ proclaims Jesus Christ as the ultimate
Victor: “There’s a reason why our hearts can be courageous/There’s a reason why
the dead are made alive/There’s a reason why we share His resurrection/Jesus is
alive/Praise the King, He is risen/Praise the King, He’s alive/Praise the King,
death’s defeated/Hallelujah, He’s alive (2X)”.
Last up is ‘Sound of Your Kingdom’ on which Jaci’s sons Zealand and
Soren contribute additional vocals. It’s
actually a danceable song of celebration: “We are sons, we are daughters/We
belong to the Father/May our lives, may our hearts/Be Your Kingdom/Paint the
streets gold/You got us cheering from the rafters/Let ourselves go/Be the joy
and be the laughter/Our hearts are spilling over because of what You’ve done/This
is the sound of Your Kingdom (2X)”.
TRUST is an album made up of soft pop songs and modern
praise and worship ones for the most part.
Jaci’s vocals are as wonderful as ever!
Talented musicians used include: Mike Payne, Nick Mayer, David Leonard,
Brent Milligan, and Toby Friesen. The
album’s main theme, in keeping with its title, is trusting in God. He expresses unchanging love and kindness
towards us. He is faithful to us even in
the hard times. He is our strength and
can move mountains in our lives. Not
only that, He can give us strength to move mountains. At Calvary, through Christ, He provided us
with life and healing. It is evident
that Jaci is grateful for this and so too should we be. Fans of Kari Jobe and Lauren Daigle should
buy TRUST which I’m rating 93%. For more
info visit: www.jacivelasquez.com
and www.integritymusic.com.