SINGER/SONGWRITER MAKES A BRILLIANT HONEST DEBUT

A female Derek Webb. One hates to make cheap comparisons, but it’s the easiest way to communicate within a word count just how beautiful and vulnerable the music of Amy Courts truly is.

Courts’ debut LP, These Cold and Rusted Lungs, is absolutely inventive within its singer/songwriter scope, polished even in its vulnerability. Just when you settle into the comfortable ease of “The Liars,” “Hold You Up” and the stunning, acoustic turn “Breathe,” along comes the unexpectedly bold steps of “O Holy God,” an a cappella twist revealing Courts’ fantastic vocal, and “Shiver,” an actual straightforward rock song that, believe it or not, works quite well.

For all the musical beauty found on Lungs, it’s Courts’ lyrical prowess that draws in the attentive listener. While some tracks are worshipful declarations, such as “In You” and “O Holy God,” most display an honest portrayal of the Christian journey—the ups and downs of the created’s attempts to move toward its Creator. “I refuse to die Like the lamb who’s led astray/I won’t be deception’s prey,” she prays on “Drowning.” “Look who’s down, who’s crying out/Take these cold and rusted lungs and make them breathe somehow,” is the cry found on “Breathe.” Both offer short, brilliant glimpses into an album full of them.

If you’re tired of the sanitized choices that line most Christian bookstore shelves, Amy Courts’ debut is certainly worthy of your attention. –Matt Conner