Grant Norsworthy: "Resident Alien" Review

Serious fans of the Paul Colman Trio would know that bass guitarist Grant Norsworthy has been a reputable figure in the CCM world over the past few years. When PC3 announced that they were "pressing the pause button" back in 2004, the widely talented songwriter and avid Compassion® spokesman launched his solo career under the banner of "Grant Norsworthy: Word and Song". Now on January 1st 2012, Grant returns with his debut solo album Resident Alien. Featuring live favourites "Jesus Loves Me (I Need More)", "My Declaration" and "Rwanda", Resident Alien reaches out to listeners who are struggling to find belonging, giving them the comforting reminder that this world is not our permanent home.

Resident Alien opens up strongly with the peaceful "Jesus Loves Me (I Need More)", speaking of a desire to know more evidence of Jesus' love working in our lives. In the bridge, Grant passionately cries out; "I need more than the words on a page / the words are good but the author I crave." Grant's serene vocals, the gentle humming in the background, and profund lyrics make for an excellent rendition of the classic hymn. "My Declaration" is an upbeat, contemporary track that is a statement of intent from Grant, proclaiming that he will keep singing about God's unending grace. "I'll stand and I'll sing of the grace shown to me / grace shown to me so I can live." Listeners will be singing along to the laid-back chorus in no time! 

"Bring Me To My Knees" sounds very much (not suprisingly) like a PC3 track, opening with a shuffling drum beat. This worshipful song is a prayer for Jesus to take away our burdens, and help us to fully trust in Him. "Rwanda" is a beautiful ballad where Grant encourages the people of the nation to have faith that God will bring them through their struggles. "Oh Rwanda / there is faith within your thousand hills / there is hope within your thousand smiles." Being an avid supporter of Compassion International, you can tell that Grant wrote these passionate and emotional lyrics from the heart.

"The Healing" is my favourite song from Resident Alien. This gentle, acoustic driven track features mellow strings and tranquil accompaniment from a female vocalist. This song is a cry for God to heal those who have made mistakes, giving them freedom from their troubles. "Here For Life (Crimson Clover)" initially appeared on PC3's Turn album, but Grant performs his own rendition on this album. Hearing the enjoyable harmonies in the chorus brought a smile to my face, also making me feel a little nostalgic! 

The album picks up the pace with the upbeat rocker "CU", opening with a bluesy guitar riff. It speaks of a desire to seek nothing else but the face of Jesus. "I just wanna see You / Your face is all I seek / the beauty of creation sings / now I wanna see You / Melt this stone my heart / The freedom that surrender brings." Because of its driving rock nature and rich guitar solo, this song caught my ear makes my list of favourites from the album. "He Loves Me" is a powerful rock anthem that oozes with energy. Listeners are instantly bombarded with a wall of heavy guitar and booming drums, as the chorus presents a very truthful statement; "He loves me / now what am I going to do? / He loves me / how could I not love Him to?".

The album settles down again with a poignant acoustic track "On and On". With the production intensely stripped away, you're able to hear Grant's almost haunting vocals as he sings about how time rolls on by so quickly that we hardly even notice. Following this song is Grant's arrangement of the timeless hymn "Be Thou My Vision", which includes an original verse. "Voice Recorder Blues" closes the album in humourous fashion, featuring fun sound effects and displaying Grant's awesome sense of humour! 

There is one thing for sure, Grant Norsworthy's debut solo album Resident Alien is a must-have for any fans of Paul Colman Trio! This album is nothing really groundbreaking, however it still has some excellent radio friendly hits such as "My Declaration", "Rwanda", "The Healing" and "On and On" that I look forward to hearing live. If you fell in love with Grant's vocals on PC3 newest album Return like I did, please don't hesitate to pick up this album! 

Rating: 

Genre: Pop / Rock

Top 3 Songs:
1. The Healing

2. On and On

3. CU

Track Listing:
1. Jesus Loves Me (I Need More)

2. My Declaration

3. Bring Me To My Knees

4. Rwanda

5. The Healing

6. Here For Life (Crimson Clover)

7. CU

8. He Loves Me

9. On and On (Prelude)

10. On and On

11. Be Thou My Vision

12. Voice Recorder Blues