Steve Green was born in Portland, Oregon on August 1, 1956. His folks were missionaries and he spent a lot of time early on in Argentina. He has sung backup for the Bill Gaither Trio and was part of the Gaither Vocal Band. Briefly, he was the lead singer for Christian rock band White Heart. He released his self-titled solo debut in 1984. In 1985 HE HOLDS THE KEYS won him a Dove Award for 'Male Vocalist of the Year'. In 1986 he put out FOR GOD AND GOD ALONE (Sparrow) produced by Greg Nelson. It is that album I am reviewing here:
1. The album starts with 'Call to Worship/The Majesty and Glory of Your Name', a reverent ballad that uses a choir: "O blessed Master, author of salvation/I lift my hands, and bless Your Name/Eternal is Thy glory/Eternal is Thy pow’r and might/You are the source of life/Alleluia, alleluia/The majesty and glory of Your name/Alleluia, alleluia/The majesty and glory of Your name".
2. Next up is the title track 'God and God Alone', penned by Phil McHugh. Bobby Taylor plays oboe on this powerful praise and worship anthem on which Steve gives a great vocal performance: "God and God alone will be the joy of our eternal home/He will be our one desire/Our hearts will never tire of God and God alone/God and God alone is fit to take the universe's throne/Let everything that lives reserve it's truest praise for God and God alone".
3. 'I Will Lift Up' was written by Denise and Dwight Liles. It is an upbeat tune extolling Christ: "Lord, Your artistry fills the earth/In wisdom You made it all/Seas and rivers give glory to You/With thunderous voice they call/Mountains rise to declare Your strength/As valleys kneel to the King/Now I join as creation worships and sings/I will lift up my eyes, I will lift up my voice/I will lift up my heart to You, Lord/I will lift up my praise/I will lift up my love/I will lift up my life to You, Jesus".
4. 'Higher Ground' is a Christian pop song about the importance of a solid spiritual foundation: "In the world, but not of it/Caught in the storm, we've got to rise above it/Waves of ungodliness eroding the shore/It's a treacherous sea, too wild to ignore/Build your house above the ocean/Build your house on higher ground/Build above the world's commotion/And its mesmerizing sound".
5. Gary Driskell and Mike Hudson wrote 'We Have Seen God's Glory' which clocks in at 5:56. It's an inspirational number about the importance of fulfilling the Great Commission: "Here we are again/The witnesses of Jesus take their stand/
May it never end/Through us let God keep stretching out His hand/Reaching those who doubt/Touching those who cry/Lifting up the word of God/As we testify/
Walking with our God/In such a living way/That when we share our faith in Him/
We can truly say/'We have seen God’s glory/We have lived and walked with Christ the King/We have seen Him heal the wounded/We have heard the brokenhearted sing'".
6. 'Let Us Praise the Almighty' clocks in at 1:59. It's a peppy praise track: "Let us praise the Almighty for what He has done/He has given new life through the Son/He’s uniting His family making us one/Let us praise Him for what He has done".
7. Next up is the now famous duet with Steve's wife Marijean, 'Household of Faith', which has been performed at many a wedding! It was penned by Brent Lamb and John Rosasco and is a pleasant ballad: "Here we are at the start committing to each other/By His Word and from our hearts/We will be a family in a house that will be a home/And with faith we’ll build it strong/We’ll build a household of faith/That together we can make/And when the strong winds blow it won’t fall down/As one in Him we’ll grow and the whole world will know/We are a household of faith".
8. 'Only Jesus/Calvary's Love' speaks of the atonement: "Only Jesus, Only He
brings redemption, full and free/There’s a yearning, in all our lives/That only Jesus satisfies.../Calvary’s love, Calvary’s love/Priceless gift Christ makes us worthy of/The deepest sin can’t rise above/Calvary’s love".
May it never end/Through us let God keep stretching out His hand/Reaching those who doubt/Touching those who cry/Lifting up the word of God/As we testify/
Walking with our God/In such a living way/That when we share our faith in Him/
We can truly say/'We have seen God’s glory/We have lived and walked with Christ the King/We have seen Him heal the wounded/We have heard the brokenhearted sing'".
6. 'Let Us Praise the Almighty' clocks in at 1:59. It's a peppy praise track: "Let us praise the Almighty for what He has done/He has given new life through the Son/He’s uniting His family making us one/Let us praise Him for what He has done".
7. Next up is the now famous duet with Steve's wife Marijean, 'Household of Faith', which has been performed at many a wedding! It was penned by Brent Lamb and John Rosasco and is a pleasant ballad: "Here we are at the start committing to each other/By His Word and from our hearts/We will be a family in a house that will be a home/And with faith we’ll build it strong/We’ll build a household of faith/That together we can make/And when the strong winds blow it won’t fall down/As one in Him we’ll grow and the whole world will know/We are a household of faith".
8. 'Only Jesus/Calvary's Love' speaks of the atonement: "Only Jesus, Only He
brings redemption, full and free/There’s a yearning, in all our lives/That only Jesus satisfies.../Calvary’s love, Calvary’s love/Priceless gift Christ makes us worthy of/The deepest sin can’t rise above/Calvary’s love".
9. Jon Mohr, Steve, and Greg Nelson wrote 'Enter In', a song of spiritual invitation: "Dearly beloved we are gathered here/To be a holy bride/And daily cross death’s threshold/To the holy life inside/Enter in, enter in/Surrender to the Spirit’s call/To die and enter in/Enter in, find peace within/The holy life awaits you, enter in".
10. Last up is 'You Want To...Now Will You', an easy listening song about conviction: "You want to, now will you?/You want to, now will you?/The truth that burns within you/Like a bed of fiery coals/Contains that power to liberate/A thousand captive souls/But if the truth will ever set you free/Depends on you/You want to, now will you?/You want to…now will you?".
As a work of art, this is a terrific album! It is enhanced by the use of The National Philharmonic Orchestra of London and Carl Gordetzky and The Nashville String Machine, as well as backing vocalists such as: John and Beverly Darnall, Marty McCall, Melodie Tunney, and Bonnie Keen. I'm rating FOR GOD AND GOD ALONE 95% and recommending it to fans of Twila Paris, David Phelps, and more traditional church music. This is a work of excellence. For more info visit: www.stevegreenministries.org or look him up on Facebook.