Music review: The war is over by Josh Baldwin
Music review: The war is over by Josh Baldwin
28 October 2017
Josh Baldwin's The Water is Over is easy-listening Christian folk rock, with a hint of southern blues.
Josh Baldwin is a contemporary Christian singer-songwriter from North Carolina who moved to Redding, California, in 2015 to join the Bethel mega-church music team. 
Previous album success included Rivers in 2014, but The War Is Over is his first solo studio recording through the artists’ collective at Bethel Music.
As a first-time listener of Josh Baldwin, I was pleasantly surprised. The music is easy-listening Christian folk rock, with a hint of southern blues.
Song arrangements are predictable, supported by well-constructed instrumental accompaniments using various guitar styles as well as synth-string sounds and occasional vocal harmony highlights.
What makes this album stand out, however, is the rich and warm sound of Baldwin’s voice which portrays both a depth of life experience and a convincing passion for the spiritual journey he sings about.
From the opening track Get Your Hopes Up, it is easy to resonate with the positive affirmations of faith and devotion throughout this album.
The song words portray beauty in their simplicity, with straightforward themes and unpretentious lyrical expression. This is evident on the album title song:
“The war is over, his love has come, to call us daughters and sons
No longer orphans without a home, we have found where we belong
It is finished, it is done: The blood of Jesus overcomes”
The contemporary Christian music world is saturated with fine musicians and songwriters producing recordings for a dedicated audience.
If you’ve not come across Josh Baldwin or Bethel Music as yet, then The War Is Over could be a good place to start.
David Parker attends Mornington Corps in Victoria.
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