Album review: Roots Run Deep

Sometimes I'm a bit new-fangled for the older adults in my life. I like remixes of old songs which seem to be blasphemous to them, ruining what was perfectly good in the first place. I can't help it—I like things that are new and different. But there's always something special about the traditional, the original. Especially when it comes to hymns. Oftentimes there's nothing so beautiful as an a capella church singing classic hymns, even if not all four parts are equal and not everyone's perfectly on time. I love that, and I don't think I'll ever lose that appreciation. New is good, and old is good too, and I can be happy with both in my life.

But sometimes a song will shake up my complacency and have me wondering for a second. Recently, it was actually an album that did it. I rarely pay attention to albums, since I don't normally like more than a couple songs on them, but when it came to Jadon Lavik's Roots Run Deep, I was pleasantly surprised and felt a review was in order.

Strictly conservative listeners will not go for this album. It's not a capella, and he does bump up the rhythm of these hymns, but there was something different here than in most albums of covers of hymns. Often, it seems like modern Christian artists' renditions of church songs are what they consider the "new and improved" version, because the original just wasn't jazzy or rock'n'roll enough. Maybe it's just my impression, maybe they don't even realize that's how it comes across, but I can understand why some Christians could protest.

Jadon Lavik's music didn't give me that impression at all, though, which was a surprise to be honest. When I first heard his music, falling deeply in love with his renditions of "Come Thou Fount" and "Wondrous Love", instead of hearing the modern remake of old hymns, I heard a respectful tribute to the good old classics. My first indication might have been when he used the original lyrics—"flaming tongues", "dreadful curse", and all. Not even most hymnals are that faithful, and I appreciated it in Roots Run Deep.

The other thing I grabbed on was the lack of "fun" in the songs. There's no irreverence in his treatment of these old hymns, even if he adds some backbeat and speeds up the tempo just a bit, no implication of "the old way was boring". Instead, what he adds to the hymns is a wonderful and deep sense of joy. Especially in "Tis So Sweet" and "Wondrous Love", you can hear how much he loves these songs and how joyful they make him feel. Not just happy, but that Biblical idea of joy that only Christian music seems to have. You want to dance to some of his music, but not because it's light and fun, but because his joy in these classic hymns of praise and worship is too infectious to ignore.

Perhaps I'm still a little heretical in thinking that sometimes, as a church, we make Christianity a little too stiff. Some songs are sung slow and steadily because they are solemn and grave, but so many others whose words are full of nothing more than contentment, peace, and joy are given the same treatment. Jadon Lavik's album reminded me that God always intended us to rejoice in the Lord always, and to live with a joy-filled heart.