Breaking the barrier of your typical acoustic pop comes BEC Recordings’ latest protégé, Chris Taylor, and his stellar debut, Take Me Anywhere. The 27-year-old Florida native sings anthems of God’s love, mercy and grace. From the honest depths of “Turn Me Around” to the humble “Made For You,” the common theme throughout the record remains consistent: it’s about God.
His testimony speaks loudly that God is everywhere and is using all opportunities to speak His name. Chris Taylor became a Christian while sitting in a car with his friend. By the next year he was leading worship at a youth group. Now Taylor comes to bring a personal message with his music and to share the love of Jesus Christ.
Opening his debut album is the ambient “Turn Me Around,” a song with that is honest and sincere, begging God to show us how to love profoundly and find everything God has to offer, even when we can’t see. “Made For You” is a song with roots that run into the worship spectrum. In the chorus, Taylor sings out, “Everything about me was made for you / Everything inside me is all for you / It’s deeper than we know right now / But we’ve got the time to figure out / Just how, everything about me was made for you.” Quickly following is Taylor’s first radio single and title track, “Take Me Anywhere.”
“Atmosphere” is another beautiful ambient track that digs a little deeper into Taylor’s heart. In the chorus, Taylor sings out, “I want you, I need you to come take control of me / I feel you, I feel you / Breaking through my world.” In his bio, Chris explains, “I’m not a prolific writer, the songs just seemed to catch me. That one woke me in the middle of the night after studying about God not being bound by space and time.”
Following “Atmosphere” is an array of songs praising God and seeking His wisdom. Songs like “You See Through Me” and “I Don’t Need to Know” pick up the pace a little bit, but without leaving strong lyrics behind in the dust. For example, in “I Don’t Need to Know” Taylor sings “I don’t need to know all the things that I know you know / Just the simple fact that you loved me before I was born,” a simple, yet profound reminder. “Symphony,” “Speak to Me in Mysteries,” and “Found” slow down the album a little, but they don’t let it stumble. “That’s How it Goes,” “Safe,” and “Lift Me Up” bring us to the intimate finale, “Come Around.”
Throughout the album, Taylor maintains a positive outlook on things in life that can bring us down by singing praises of God’s love, mercy, and joy. Though I wouldn’t dub the record as a worship album, I would say it has the heart of worship, but in a friendly pop manner. I strongly encourage you check out Chris Taylor’s worshipful pop ballads full of meaning. Take Me Anywhere is a strong debut, and sheds light in a market overloaded with stereotypes and unoriginal tunes.
Article by Jeremy Koering, Editor / Photographer / General Writing
