Matt Maher
Saints and Sinners (Essential, 2015)
Get your hands and hearts ready, Christian music fans. Matt Maher’s latest album, Saints and Sinners, shows off what his fans love most—the singer’s soulful voice, insightful lyrics, and fist-pumping tunes. Maher, a Catholic, is respected for both his musical abilities and his sound theological grounding. The five-time Grammy nominee rose to fame with hits like “Lord, I Need You” and “Christ Is Risen” that convey a deep, emotional trust in God while honoring that faith isn’t always easy. Saints and Sinners treads the tension of trying to live a holy life in a broken, sinful world. As Maher writes on his website, “We are each on the pilgrimage of searching out [God’s] purpose, being transformed, saints and sinners.” This album offers rousing music for the journey.
Saints and Sinners creatively weaves together tidbits of wisdom from Christian leaders like Óscar Romero (“Future Not My Own”) and Mother Teresa (“Firelight”). The voice of Martin Luther King Jr. himself makes an appearance in the soulful gospel jam “Sons and Daughters.” The Christian call for racial justice rings loud and clear as Maher sings emphatically, “All my brothers help each other, all my sisters walk together. No one is a stranger. We’re all sons and daughters.”
Maher slows it down for “Rest,” a minimalistic rendition of Psalm 23. He pumps it back up for the rock anthem “Glory Bound,” prompting listeners to “make some room in your heart for mercy, make some room for a little grace.”
Fans can’t help but relate to his lyrics while listening to “Because He Lives (Amen).” As the song builds, an enthused Maher testifies, “I’m alive because he lives!”
Maher’s music engages a wide spectrum of the human experience. From love to facing the great unknown, Maher seems to cover it all—making his album the perfect soundtrack for saints, sinners, and everyone in between.
This review appeared in the May 2015 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 80, No. 5, page 42).
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