Take Over - Aaron Shust

In 2005, worship leader Aaron Shust exploded into the christian music scene, scoring a major hit (My Saviour, My God) and releasing his best-selling debut album. After earning the Dove Awards for "New Artist" and "Songwriter of the Year", his sophomore disc arrived, and garnered minor success, including another well-received single. Now, nearly 2 years later, he is returning with his third project, "Take Over." To start things off, we have the lead single "To God Alone," a near perfect praise and worship tune that brings to mind other current artists in the industry, such as Chris Tomlin and Rush of Fools. Next in line comes the pop-infused, "Come and Save Us." Featuring driving guitar riffs and a powerhouse chorus, this track follows more in the footsteps of Shust's earlier work, and is what fans will be listening for. An interesting difference with this disc, is that instead of writing alone this time, some extra talent was lended from various performers. Matthew West, Jason Ingram, Brandon Heath and Ian Eskelin were all involved in the record, among others. Falling into a more mid-tempo field, "Stars Will Fall" is another fantastic anthem, showcasing the top-notch production from veteran producer Rusty Varenkamp, while the title track is yet one more worth a mention, and is also a personal favorite. So as I will explain, the album is a solid effort by Shust, and though there is nothing necessarily exceptional about it, songs like "Ever After" give us a taste of what the future may hold for this still growing artist. And while this may sound mixed, I would label this review a quite positive one, for not only am I pleasantly surprised, but I believe this his best CD to date. ~ Christian Lingner

4 of 5 stars