The band Tree released two albums. They were 1997's OVERFLOW and 1999's 63. They hailed from South Africa. When they discovered an American band was also called Tree, they changed their name to Tree63 (coming from Psalm 63). In 2000 they put out their self-titled TREE63 (Inpop Records). It won a Dove Award for 'Rock Album of the Year'. Group members were: John Ellis (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Darryl Swart (drums, percussion, backing vocals), and Martin Engel (bass, backing vocals).
First up is 'Treasure', a bouncy pop/rock song that greatly values God: "My heart is where my treasure lies/My great reward is in Your eyes/My every breath belongs to You/You are my treasure". 'Joy' is a pop/rock song that includes these words of reflection: "No superman/I'm no hero/I'm just a man in Your eyes/But through Your Son/I've overcome the father of all lies".
'Look What You've Done' is a song of spiritual devotion: "What can I do for You my Lord?/I want You to know my heart is Yours/It's not a question of what You can do for me/But what can I do for You, my Lord?" 'Sacrifice' is a pop/rock ballad of confession: "So as I come to worship You/I know that something has to die/And as I bring my sacrifice just let it die".
Next up is 'Earnestly', a peppy pop/rock song that speaks of faithfulness to God: "In the darkest night of the desert/In the deepest hole of the valley/My soul, my soul clings to You (2X)/Through the freezing chill of winter/In the furnace of Your fire/My soul, my soul clings to You". 'Anthem' is a quiet ballad of worship: "I love You, I love You Lord/There's nothing above You Lord/I am not my own/And I am not alone/I am waiting on You Lord/And this is my desire/To go deeper into You".
'A Million Lights' is a pretty adult contemporary ballad of devotion: "Could I walk out to sea way beyond these breakers?/We have no place among the movers and the shakers/Yours is the only throne I'll ever get down on my knees before/You have the whole of me/Lover come away/Come away my Lover". '1*0*1' includes these words of praise: "Before the foundation of the world/And way beyond the end to come/You're shining brighter than the sun/You'll always be the only One".
'Can I See Your Face?' is a pop/rock song of one wanting to connect with God: "Standing in the cold/Searching the stars trying to figure out just where You are/Get me on my knees/Shake me to the bone/Leave a message on my answer phone.../Can I see Your face?" Last up is 'Worldwide' which includes these unique thoughts: "Virtual reality/Just not real enough for me/Jesus Christ is still alive/I'm waiting for Him to arrive/An interactive courier/Above all multimedia.../You don't need to understand/You just need to take His hand".
Eight of the ten songs on TREE63 are pop/rock, while two are adult contemporary. There are just three slow songs presented. A main theme here is that of wanting to please, serve, and live for God. We should love Him completely, dying to self daily. We can have joy in the Lord! He saves us and gives us victory over Satan. He never fails us. I recommend this album, which I'm rating 86%, to fans of Delirious?, Kevin Max, and Newsboys. For more info visit www.tree63.com or connect with them on social media.