Album Review :
Cory Lamb - Safe In Your Arms EP

Cory Lamb, an independent artist signed to Black Sheep Entertainment, has released his EP Safe in Your Arms to much acclaim. Cory has been praised by the mainstream arena in particular, being compared to Bon Jovi and The Killers. On first listening to the 26 year old, I was pleasantly surprised at how he was able to incorporate vertical worship into lyrics that may also be taken in a mainstream way. These songs have reminded me about how Jesus has us in the palm of His hand; that He will keep us safe no matter what happens in this life. With a voice similar to ex-lead singer of Hawk Nelson, Jason Dunn; Cory has impressed with this EP, and if his follow-up album continues to impress, he will have a successful career in the Christian and mainstream markets alike.

The title track, ‘Safe in Your Arms’, speaks about a man who asks himself a series of questions; ‘…caught in the rain, I’m lost in the streets, got my eyes open wide but my heart is asleep. Why am I here, so far away; would I trade the world just to look at your face?…’ Everyone, including myself, can testify to that feeling of bewilderment, not understanding how the circumstances in this world are being used by the Lord to further His glory. Our eyes are open, but our heart isn’t really. We can see, but if our heart doesn’t believe the fact that Jesus is in control and that we are indeed safe in His arms, then it can be asleep. This song is a simple prayer to the Lord, asking and yearning for Him to reassure us that we are safe in His arms. The heavy drums and guitar melodies enhance the song further and with Cory singing with his heart on his sleeve, that ‘…nothing is better than being together…’, we understand how much God loves us, that ‘God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8).

The rest of the album echo’s the title track’s theme; that God will continue to save us because of His unending love for us. ‘Rescue’ speaks about how we are always saved by Jesus; that it’s not by what we’ve done, but by what He did on the cross, that reassures us that we are loved by the most High King. The piano-driven radio friendly melody together with lyrics like the chorus, ‘…You save me, when I’m crashing down, You reach me, when I’m losing ground…’; highlight this song as one of my favourites. ‘Won’t Let Go’ is another keyboard song about our devotion to God, about how ‘…I’ve been waiting; cause everything I’ve been chasing has been fading, but You’re more than enough…’ Sounding similar to Jason Dunn particularly in this song, this is one that reminds us that God won’t let us go in any circumstance. The last song, ‘It’s a Good Day’, is a radio friendly acoustic guitar driven song, with looping percussion and powerful drumming moments. It poses a question to the listeners, about whether we would be content for the remainder of our lives if nothing special happened. This song is about appreciating life, and being thankful as we may never know when our time is up.

Overall: This is an impressive EP from an artist that I have never heard of. Cory has an honest song writing appeal, and through these four tracks, I was able to catch his heart and the themes that make the EP so important to Him. It is a realisation that the Lord will hold us close to Him and protect us from any hardship that comes our way. This album was a pleasant surprise and I really look forward to listening to some more thought-provoking songs in the near future.

RIYL: Hawk Nelson, Stellar Kart, Relient K, Sanctus Real

Buy the Album: iTunes/Amazon mp3