Review Rating: Catch It On The Radio [4/5]
Grammy Nominee and Dove Award Winner, Ricardo Sanchez released Taste + See September 29th, his first project in almost 2 years. The album was recorded live in San Antonio, Texas at Cornerstone Church, and an assortment of influences and sounds can be heard throughout the album, giving it a diverse and unique sound.
The title track is the album’s earliest display of this diversity. Latin, jazz, gospel and rock influences all contribute to the feel and sound of “Taste + See.” Combining so many styles into one song can be difficult and has the potential to create a muddied or clashing result. However, Sanchez artfully makes space for each style, and the result is an upbeat and catchy song about the goodness of God and his enduring love.
“Over Me” takes a different turn in style. Steel drums create a reggae-style vibe, and listeners are instantly transported to the islands by the celebratory music. Sanchez’s lyrics, too, are a celebration of the works of God. The chorus proclaims, “He’s a way maker, He’s a game changer, the impossible is made possible in Jesus name.” The song’s lyrics are repetitive, but it doesn’t grow tiresome. Rather, the joy expressed in the song feels like it could go on for even longer than the song’s 4.5 minute run time.
“Faithful” is one of the album’s slower tempo songs. It is well-written and powerful, and it sounds like a typical worship song, which, on this album of diverse styles and sounds, actually sets it apart. The chorus lyrics, “You are faithful to complete, faithful to fulfill all you began in me to restore, faithful to redeem, faithful to reveal all you began in me,” follow a simple melody, making them easy to worship along to immediately. The song is simpler than many of the others on the album, but this simplicity allows for moments of powerful worship.
Taste + See gives listeners the opportunity to experience and worship God as they are drawn near Him through powerful lyrics and diverse music styles. Sanchez states, “We always look at our records as a tool to help people communicate Jesus in whatever vernacular or whatever way they can.” This desire is evident on the whole album, as in each song the musical styles vary, but the messages all convey the power of Jesus.
