Josh Byrd doesn't try too hard to impress. He leaves it to his plain speaking sentiments and the rustic charm of his erudite songs. But more than that, Beautiful is independently released and that speaks volumes of Byrd's uncompromising dedication to his divine mission as his association with Artists in Christian Ministry provides him the opportunity to conduct his personal ministry on spiritual rather than commercial consideration.
Beautiful itself lives up to its name reflecting Byrd's passion and adoration of the Almighty, brought to the heart in unmistakably intimate terms. "So I feel no good/So misunderstood/You say that you love me/Formed by your own hand/With a bigger plan/I'm not done yet, not done yet," Byrd sings in the title track of experience not unique to himself.
As is evident from tracks like "Fall," "Hold Me," "More of You," and "Better Than Life," this album is one long love letter to God and isn't that what true worship is about? And when Byrd adapts that classic hymn "I Surrender All," it resonates with a conviction so easily lacking with familiarity and repetition that you can believe that Byrd means every word -- "I surrender all/I surrender all/All to thee my blessed saviour/I surrender all."
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