Bruce Von Stiers

There is a Christian singer that hails from Minnesota by the name of Jason Gay. His latest effort is titled A Place Call Called Hope. It is one of the best Contemporary Christian albums that I have heard in quite a while. The album was released by True Tunes Records.

Jason says that God first really spoke to him when he was in 5th grade and listening to “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” from his parent’s record collection. According to an article about Jason, he says that God had him from then on. This dedication to God can be found shining through each of Jason’s songs.

A Place Called Hope has 14 songs on it. They range from a ballad type of praise song to a kicking guitar piece. The album has several styles of songs put together in a definite statement of faith.

The first song is Leaving It All Behind. It starts out with a little guitar and decent backbeat. The song is about leaving all the trappings of life behind. The lyrics detail those things binding the singer “like a dog at the end of his chain.” Your feet are sure to be moving around by the end of the song.

Look Over Your Shoulder is the next song. It is a slow song about people who are afraid of things and not willing to reach out as the night will never end. The song says that if “you must be afraid, be afraid of yourself.”

The third song is another one that makes you move around. It is called Hide and Seek. It is a song asking God to come find the singer. He is too used to hiding so he wants God to find him as he is “seeking to be found.”

A Little More Like Jesus is yet another song that you can’t stand still listening to. It is about people whose deeds shine through and make them seem a little like Jesus.

The Things We Hold Back is a song that has a more Country music flavor it. It features the vocal talents of Sara Groves. The New Jerusalem is about the city of God that we will find when we leave this life. The Letter is about writing a letter to someone who has been hurt in love.

The Dance has a Gaelic lilt to it. Kathy Elnan provides some beautiful background vocals for this song.

The ninth song on the album is my favorite. The title of the song is The Prodigal. It is a song about the Prodigal Son. He is sending postcards back home, telling them that things are all right. “The stars are burning all night” moves on down to “the stars are falling all night long.” In the end he wants to just come home. Not only does this song have a very strong message, it has a fantastic rock/ funk beat.

If You Lead Me is the next song. It is about following wherever Jesus leads you. It has a lot of background music that sound somewhat like an early ‘70’s rock song with synthesized organ music. I Surrender is another Country flavored song about giving control of our lives over to God.

A Place Called Hope is the title track for the album. It has a bluesy style to it, with drumbeats and smoky lyrics. The song has the strong background vocal talents of Latonia Hughes, Germain Brooks and Cynthia Johnson.

The Weight Of Glory is the thirteenth song on the album. It is about the long journey to become a child of God and the weight that it can lay upon your shoulders.

The last track on the album is undocumented. It is an instrumental piece that is basically a country song without the lyrics.

As I wrote earlier, A Place Called Hope is one of the best albums that I’ve heard in a while. I really hope that Jason continues on in his music ministry as he is sure to help bring a lot of people closer to God with his songs.

Check your local Christian retailer for A Place Called Hope. If they don’t have it, check out Jason’s web site at www.Jasongay.com. You can order a copy of the CD through the web site. You can also hear samples of songs from the album on the web site too.