Testament - The Perrys - CD Review

The Perrys' newest project Testament is just that. Any one familiar wth the Perrys know they have been through a lot in the past few years. This project is full of songs of testimony that speak to where they have been and what they desire in their relationship with God. This is the second album with its current lineup.

The project starts with "Let's Stop for a Moment," which reminds us all just to slow down, stop and mediate on what God has done and praise Him. The song is a slower style that features the group, but also has step out lines for Libbi and then Andrew on a verse.

Libbi has one of the most loved and most recognized voices in Southern Gospel. She has several features on this project including "I Will Pray, "Find Me Faithful" and "My Hope Is in the Blood."  "Find Me Faithful" is the highlight of the project for me. This song features Libbi and was written by Jeff Bumgardner, Karen Peck Gooch and Joel Lindsey. Jeff Bumgardner lost his young daughter unexpectedly earlier this year. This is one of the first songs after that tragic event in his life. Libbi does an incredible job conveying the strong lyrics of this song because she's lived that the past few years as well.

Another highlight is "Sing in the Valley," which has a country sound with a lot of steel guitar. Troy is featured on this song and does a great job. Don't miss the incredible message of this song - sing in the valley, like you're on the mountaintop. Praise Him no matter where He leads, whether that's the mountain or the valley.

"It's Not Here to Stay" is a great toe-tapper song for the Perrys. It features Andrew. This is one of my favorites. "Lord Send Me" is another great uptempo song. It's good to hear Tracy on a few step out lines. My favorite uptempo song is probably "Moses and Elijah," which also features Andrew.

Jared is featured on "Who I Could Have Been." It's nice to hear him on this song. It really shows how he's grown over the past few years. The song has a nice hook and challenges us to think about who we could have been without Jesus and if things had gone differently in our lives.

I love story songs. "It Carried Him" is another highlight and my favorite feature of Andrew's on this project. Andrew does an incredible job on this country-flavored song. It's hinted at what the "it" is throughout the song, but it's clearly revealed toward the very end of the song.

The Perrys shows again why they are consistently one of the top mixed groups in the industry. Testament is the strongest release from the Perrys in several years. From strong ballads to energetic fast-paced songs, the project has a nice variety of songs. The message of each song builds on the theme of Testament and leaves listeners hitting repeat on this project!


Songs to turn up - "It's Not Here to Stay" and "Moses and Elijah"
Song to put on repeat - "Find Me Faithful"
Song to give a second listen - "Sing in the Valley"


Song List -

1. "Let's Stop for a Moment"
2. "I Will Pray"
3. "It's Not Here to Stay"
4. "Find Me Faithful"
5. "Lord Send Me"
6. "Who I Could Have Been"
7. "Sing in the Valley"
8. "Moses and Elijah"
9. "It Carried Him"
10. "My Hope Is in the Blood"
11. "The Harder the Battle the Sweeter the Victory"