Prime Cuts: "Through It All," "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus," "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power"
Overall Grade: 4/5
Through It All finds Mark Lowry returning to the well he has drawn from for decades-timeless hymns that have shaped both his ministry and the wider church. Partnering with Geron Davis, the project leans less on reinvention and more on reverent re-presentation, allowing the enduring theological weight of these songs to carry the album.
The title track, "Through It All," stands as the emotional and theological center. Lowry's delivery is unhurried, almost testimonial in tone, turning the familiar lyrics into something deeply personal. It feels less like a performance and more like a lived confession-faith refined not in abstraction, but in experience.
"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" is another standout, handled with restraint and clarity. Rather than building toward a dramatic crescendo, the arrangement invites quiet reflection, reinforcing the hymn's call to reorient one's gaze in the midst of distraction and weariness. It's simple, but that simplicity is precisely its strength.
"The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" carries a slightly more robust arrangement, giving space for the song's triumphant theology to breathe. Lowry leans into its declarative nature, reminding listeners of the unchanging foundation beneath shifting circumstances-a theme that resonates across the entire record.
Elsewhere, tracks like "Just As I Am" and "Softly and Tenderly" maintain a consistent tone of invitation and grace. These are not radically reimagined versions; instead, they feel like trusted companions-songs meant to be sung along with rather than merely listened to. "Come And Dine" and "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder" bring moments of brightness and congregational energy, though they don't quite reach the same emotional depth as the album's strongest cuts.
If there's a limitation, it's that Through It All rarely takes creative risks. Listeners looking for bold reinterpretations may find the arrangements predictable. Yet that predictability is also part of the album's pastoral intent-it prioritizes accessibility and familiarity over innovation.
Ultimately, Through It All succeeds as a devotional listening experience. It reminds us that in an age constantly chasing the new, there is still profound power in returning to songs that have carried the church through generations. Lowry doesn't try to outshine the hymns-he simply inhabits them. And in doing so, he invites listeners to do the same.
