Customer Reviews

Anything Worth Saying

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This last weekend, I went to a concert where Aaron Shust was the opening act. I hadn't heard of him before, but I was impressed enough to buy this CD.

Aaron spent four years as the worship pastor at a church in Atlanta. This shows through on the CD. The focus is most certainly on God, with several songs that could easily be used in a church service.

"Matchless" is a great upbeat song praising the name Jesus Christ now as a warm up for eternity. "Glory to You" could easily be a call to worship with a chorus that states "The reason we're here and the reason we sing/is to thank You oh God and give praise to the King/We lift our hands and we lift our eyes and we sing/You are holy."

A couple of the songs have familiar themes of surrender. For example, "Give it All Away" says "All of my plans, all of my dreams, I lay them down before your feet." Easy to say but hard to do. On the other hand, "More then Wonderful" is refreshingly honest when it admits "And although it seems at times it all means nothing to me/You've got to know that I love You/You've got to know that I need You."

The highlight of the album is "My Savior My God," the first single released to radio. Aaron took an old, forgotten hymn he discovered and gave it a new melody and chorus. It's a fun song with a building passion and a great statement of faith.

While the CD lists twelve tracks, two of them are under a minute each. The CD opens with "Give Me Words," a prayer that Aaron feels will be one day become a full song, but he wanted to share it with us now. "In Your Name" is a slower version of the bridge from "Matchless." I wasn't sure about it the first couple times through, but it works well as a transition into the final song, "One Day.

Aaron's heart comes through in these songs. His desire to praise our great God is refreshing and touched my heart.

The CD is a guitar driven debut. Musically, it doesn't stand out from the many adult contemporary/worship projects already released. This can be a drawback or a blessing. Personally, that's my favorite style, so I love it. On the other hand, the melodies are easy to learn and very catchy. I have already found several of these songs stuck in my head.

I am very glad I got a change to be exposed to Aaron's music and buy this CD. I will enjoy this for quite some time and look forward to more projects from him.

First of all let me say that this doesn't get five stars because I reserve 5 stars for things like Luther's "A Mighty Fortress" and other works that have stood the test of time. You know what I am talking about, Aaron. What I do know is that the music found on this album honestly, accurately, and authentically represents the heart of Aaron Shust. This music is not contrived. I have heard better voices and witnessed better guitar playing ability, but Aaron, with his rich vocals and able song-writing, offers us something that we can easily hang our hearts on and sing at the top of our lungs. The lyrics are reverant and well-directed. The tunes are memorable. The songs teach about God's character and nature. I met Aaron a couple of years ago at a camp where he led music and as a youth director I took some kids from the church. I don't know Aaron well, but what I saw of him and the way he brought people before the Throne gives creedence to and validates his music. I doubt that he cares what you may or may not think about his abilities. In fact I would venture to say that if you are buying the album to hear him, he would rather you not buy it. If you do buy this album (which I recommend) may your listening turn to praise.

Aaron Shust has broken into a very difficult industry with an album that can only be described as phenomenal. Not flashy - phenomenal. As a matter of fact, this one will fall under the radarscopes of many Christian music watchers, because they're looking for something that stands out from the crowd in a spectacular way, that they can add smoke and lights to and draw a big crowd. And what Aaron offers is heart. He does it in a way that is moving, poetic, sometimes big, sometimes quiet - but always honest. The kind of music God enjoys.

Sometimes Aaron is acoustical, sometimes electronic; sometimes he reminds you of a funky Beatles song or 70's rock n' roll; sometimes he's got a lot of percussion and a strong beat; sometimes he adds the female vocals of Candi Pearson - he mixes it up. But always, always the sound is heartfelt and honest. He's not playing this music for you and me, like it or not. He's playing it the way David danced before the Lord. He's playing it for the King. But he's letting you and me listen in, and join in, hopefully. That's worship.

You know, I don't know if God boogies, or even if He dances. My guess is He does because David did, and he was imitating God just like we're supposed to do, and he did that in the Spirit. Anyhow, if God does dance, I'll bet He's dancing to Aaron's music. If you play this in your worship time - personal or otherwise - you'll rock. But then, at other times, you'll float. It's that kind of album. My personal favorite is track 4, "Let the People Praise," which Aaron almost didn't include because he thought it might not be good enough. I think it's the best one on the album. All the songs will help you worship God better. And He'll dig that.

Waitsel Smith

So in general i hate the term 'worship song'/'worship cd'. I believe that worship is a matter of the heart, and i've gotten very tired of the 'worship bandwagon' that it seems everybody has jumped on. That being said, this CD is incredible. The lyrics are very honest, and you connect with them instantly. The songs are full of hooks that pull you in immediately...and it's not the same 3 chord progression is typically found in every other 'praise song'. I lead worship both with youth at my church, and on my college campus. And Aaron's songs have been a HUGE hit. They're all people want to sing.

I bought this CD because I wanted something that was really focused on God and this CD is perfect. Whereas so much Christian music today focuses on the struggle as Christians, which can get depressing after a while, the lyrics on this CD are very positive and always glorify God. When I am weak or tired in the Spirit, I often now put in this CD and I find it is perfect to help me focus on walking according to the Holy Spirit. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a praise and worship CD with great music!

After hearing the awesome songs Matchless and My Savior My God on the radio I was in great anticipation to receive this CD but when it actually arrived I was a little disappointed. It's not a bad collection but it is also not spectacular. Two of the "songs" are not even complete and last for less than 40 seconds (Give Me Words: 17 sec. and In Your Name: 35 sec). It's not bad, but this collection was just not what I had expected. Some of the songs are really great but others are a little disappointing. These are the ones where I kept waiting for something to happen, the melody to take off like in My Savior My God but nothing ever happened. Besides the two I already mentioned the only other song that really impressed me was the last one: One Day which has more variation in the music and the singer's voice. I have to give this CD a three.

Aaron Shust is a former worship team leader from Atlanta , GA who has burst onto the CCM scene with the hit "My Savior, My God." Anything Worth Saying is worth hearing.

Anything Worth Saying opens with Give Me Words. Just as you're drawn into it, it ends. A 17 second snippet of a song to open an album? It's a strange choice. Loved the 17 seconds, but it leaves you unsatisfied. Fortunately, the second track, Glory To You is strong and almost four minutes of producer Dan Hannon on a grungy guitar with a catchy hook from Shust. The hook drives this and many other songs on the CD, and Aaron seems to have a knack for them. Matchless features more excellent guitar work and a current sound, which may be why Aaron was signed. The chorus is pretty basic and repeats over and over again, but it is catchy.

There's an innocence throughout this album. You get the sense that it's not written from some deep, dark place crying out to the Lord, but from a high, a thankfulness for a life untouched by tragedy. Nowhere is this more evident than on Stillness, a very strong track. You get the sense that Shust is not drowning and grasping, but is GROWING in the Lord and longs to be with Him as a beloved. Stillness is absolutely lovely, and shows a beautiful heart.

Aaron has a "Chris Tomlin" feel on More Wonderful, that's a supreme compliment as Chris really was the trailblazer in this style. Change the Way showcases Aaron's pure voice and this song stands out as a radio track. Stand to Praise has lyrics based on Psalm 117, but they get a bit repetitive, as does the simple melody. His worship team experience shows here, though while this may go over well in a full congregation, for sheer listening quality it falls short.

Again a snippet of a song with In Your Name, the START of a beautiful and potentially brilliant song. Yes, I understand artists wanting cool unexpected things, but the song feels more unfinished than clever. It comes right up to the hook, then ends! If I were to buy this CD, I'd think I am getting 12 tracks, but I really get 10, the bare minimum for a full length CD. The label should have sprung to do 12 tracks. This song also sounds very similar to the bridge from Matchless. It does lead into One Day well enough, but the production foresight really lacks here. One Day is the end of the CD, another track with a strong Scriptural basis. It starts out well, but after some of the previous tracks, it feels a bit amateurish. It's trying to find its identity and doesn't ever really reach it.

This is Shust's debut album, and for that, it's pretty impressive. The production is tight on some of the better tracks, and the instrumentation is very professional. There are some really excellent songs here, but there are also some that weren't yet ready for the studio. That there is depth proves that Shust is not a one-hit wonder. Most importantly, the focus on every single one of these songs is God Almighty. While improvements certainly can be made, his focus is not one of those. Aaron has a bright future in Praise and Worship and CCM.

I took a chance at purchasing thid CD, because I have only heard the one song that was played on the radio (My Savior My God), and had not heard anything from Aaron previously, but to my surprise I wasn't disappointed with any of the songs.

This CD is very well produced and put together, with the instrumentals (though heavy at times but not over-done) not being intrusive to the vocals... one can immediately pick up that Aaron has a style of his own, and it is refreshing to hear. The last song, "One Day" must have been fun to record, and also very powerful to listen to. This CD will pick up your heart and soul and point them to praises to our God, with lyrics that are catchy and keep you humming long after the music has stopped.

"Anything Worth Saying" is Aaron Shust's debut album. I bought the CD in early summer & had the opportunity to see Aaron & his band in an intimate concert setting in August. I had been asking myself the question, why do i sing? And why do i make music? We sing when we are sad, lonely, grief stricken, happy, celebrating, & more. This album touches on varied emotions in each song. My favorite song is "One Day", describing the time we will have our questions to the mysteries of life answered.

I am not sure which is better the CD or it's insert. Each song on the CD helps to bring one closer to God. However, so does the insert. The faith builders on the insert explain the whys for the lyrics and are a wonderful read. I owned a copy of this CD and purchased one for my son at camp. It became one of the favorites of the pastors and youth.