Steve Green was born on August 1, 1956 in Portland, Oregon. His folks were Baptist missionaries so he spent a lot of his early life in Argentina. He sang with Truth for a couple of years and then sang back-up for the Bill Gaither Trio. In 1980 he became a part of the inaugural Gaither Vocal Band. Following this, he sang lead on White Heart's self-titled debut album in 1982. Deciding he didn't really want to perform rock music, he launched a solo career beginning with his self-titled debut album in 1984 on Sparrow Records. Fast forward to 2002 and he released WOVEN IN TIME (Sparrow), which was produced by Phil Naish and executive produced by Grant Cunningham. In the liner notes Steve writes: "During the long and tedious, yet thrilling process of recording, I was again reminded of how interconnected and dependent upon one another we are as believers in Christ Jesus. This project is the result of many that gave their advice, encouragement, time, creativity, concern, and caring attention".
1. First up is 'Pleasures of the King', an easy listening number written by Fred MacKrell and Rob Mathes. It uses the Nashville String Machine and glorifies Christ: "Existing pure and faultless/Embodiment of Truth/Guardian of righteousness/With Name beyond reproof/His words uphold the universe/In love unwavering/Jesus, You are the treasure of the King (2X)".
2. Wes King wrote and plays classical guitar on the beautiful inspirational song 'Thread of Scarlet'. It uses an eight person choir and speaks of Calvary: "The thread of scarlet, woven in time/For our redemption, the Son of David died/That we might live/Willingly the sinless One took our sin/Upon Himself and we hid our face/'Why have you forsaken Me?'/Was His cry before He died/Were you there?/Can you see?"
3. Next up is a smooth version of the now classic worship song 'God of Wonders'. It has a bit of a groove to it and should please admirers of nature: "Lord of all creation/Of water, earth, and sky/The heavens are Your tabernacle/Glory to the Lord on high/God of wonders beyond our galaxy/You are holy, holy/The universe declares Your Majesty/You are holy, holy/Lord of heaven and earth (2X)".
4. 'If We Answer' finds Scott Dente on acoustic guitar, Jerry McPherson on electric guitar, and Christine Dente on backing vocals. It's a great pop song all about God: "He's a comfort and a terror/A destroyer and repairer/He's more terrible and fairer/Than our mortal tongues can say/He is hidden and revealing/He's appalling and appealing/He's our wounding and our healing/And He will not turn away.../Holy Lamb of God/And He cannot love us more/Holy Lamb of God".
5. Steve co-wrote the inspirational song 'I Will Go' with Douglas McKelvey. It's all about witnessing: "And I will go where there are no easy roads/Leave the comforts that I know/I will go and let this journey be my home/I will go, I will go/I will go Lord where Your glory is unknown/I will live for You alone/I will go because me life is not my own/I will go, I will go, I will go".
6. 'Sacrifice of Praise' has a Celtic feel to it with the use of bouzouki, uilleann pipes, and penny whistle. On it Steve testifies: "Our fountain of praise begins with Thee/It flows from Your heart above/Mercy like rain comes cleansing and free/To shower Your children in love/The thirst of our souls left parched by sin/Is quenched by Your river of grace/As rains that ascend to the heavens again/We offer to Thee our praise".
7. 'Grace and Nothing More' was penned by Jon Mohr, Rob Mathes, and Phil Naish. Jim Hammerly plays the B-3 on this slow but strong gospel song that speaks of how God leads us through this life: "Strength in my weakness/Joy through the pain/Hope when I'm helpless/Loss my greatest gain/By His own hand and faithfulness/He steers me toward a distant shore/And the wind that billows in the sail/Is grace and nothing more/Yes, it's grace and nothing more".
8. Wanda Vick plays the fiddle, the dobro, and the mandolin on the slow country tune 'O Pilgrim Come'. It is one of invitation: "O pilgrim come, here is the cross/Cast all your pride away/And earthly treasures count as loss/In light of all you gain/O pilgrim come, here is the cross/Here is mercy/Come be crucified with Christ/Here is mercy/Come be raised with Him to life".
9. 'Holding Hands' was written by Steve, Grant Cunningham, and Matt Huesmann. It's a tender adult contemporary love song with a viola solo by Jim Grosjean: "Years fly, they hurry by, the simple times are gone/Bills due, a kid or two, a week can feel eight days long/By fading light, let's kiss goodnight/And then we trace God's daily grace/Thankful we're still holding hands/There's a hope that won't let go/There's a truth we know/God is holding us in His arms".
10. 'Whatever It Takes' includes these words most of us can relate to: "At times I hear Your voice and try to hide/But patiently you draw me to Your side/I may not always see/That Your words are life to me/So many times I've missed You/Help me, Lord, to not resist You".
11. 'Thread of Scarlet (Reprise)' is a short, lovely piece: "Holy Lamb of God/The Son of David/Holy Lamb of God/He paid our ransom/Holy Lamb of God/The Lord our Righteousness/Holy Lamb of God/Jesus did die that we might live".
12. 'Non Nobis Domine' has a majestic sound to it and is based on Psalm 115:1. It uses a men's choir and includes these reverent words: "Not unto us, O Lord (2X)/But to Your Name (2X)/May all the glory be".
WOVEN IN TIME is a real gem of an album! Of course, Steve's vocals are mighty fine as usual. But here, he experiments with easy listening, inspirational, pop, gospel, and country sounds and it all comes together brilliantly. The album clocks in at 48 minutes and 28 seconds. Steve praises God for His love which took His Son to the cross, His grace, and His guidance. Steve desires to exalt Christ and have intimacy with the Father. He also deeply desires to share the Good News with the lost and the hurting. A love for nature also is touched on. I'm rating WOVEN IN TIME a perfect 100 percent! For more info visit: www.stevegreenministries.org. This album is sure to draw you closer to God.