We’ve been waiting patiently for Sarah Kroger’s new album, Light, since she released its first single, “Monuments,” earlier this year, and now it’s arrived only to blow our expectations away. The 8-song work is full of richly religious themes and unapologetically Catholic views, driven by Kroger’s memorable hooks and strong vocals.
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Catholic musician Sarah Kroger collaborates with Matt Maher and Ike Ndolo
Light opens up with “Standing in Your Light,” a jubilant tune that feels like it was made for dancing, and quickly changes pace to a much more somber “A Thousand Thank Yous.” Both songs praise the Lord in no uncertain terms, but the change in atmosphere is striking and an excellent one-two punch to open up the album.
Her collaboration with Matt Maher on “Unbroken Family” stood out as an exceptional song with outstanding orchestration. The two Catholic songwriters each take a verse before singing together in thrilling choruses. Then, when Maher jumps up an octave and the two take up harmonies, all the while building the orchestration with a march-style drum line, it gave us shivers. The emotion behind their performance was excellently suited to the familial subject matter, and it left us wishing the pair would work together more.
While there is no shortage of great music on Light— we have already written about what a great song “Monuments” is — the song that most stood out to us was “Belovedness,” a simply arranged song that features a soft accompaniment on just the piano, acoustic guitar, and cello. The song contains a beautiful sentiment about accepting one’s place in God’s heart, and it is expressed through a melody that sounds as natural as if we’d heard it a thousand times before. Exceptional Catholic songwriting at its best.
Light explores themes self-awareness and acceptance of a relationship with God. Kroger’s new songs seek to understand what leads us to the darkness and encourages the acceptance of the vulnerability of standing in God’s Light, where we are exposed and purified. In a press release, Kroger said that the new album is a progression of the themes explored in her previous work, Bloom. She said:
“Bloom was the process of rising out of the dirt and stretching towards the sun. Light is about what comes next — showing up every day and being who God made me to be. I’m a person who has a tendency of keeping things in the dark. Whether it’s something I perceive as good, like my talents, or bad, like my sin and shame, I keep it hidden. Standing in the light makes us vulnerable — but it’s also the place where Love can do its greatest work.”
