NEW MUSIC the stories being told. Stanfill’ s voice which is often associated with high-energy anthems, is presented here with more nuance: weathered in places, tender in others, and consistently believable. The production never tries to outshine the message which so often happens with today’ s worship releases. Instead, it frames each lyric like a window into the heart of someone rediscovering the kindness of God and running home to the father after a prodigal journey.
Lyrically, this is some of Stanfill’ s most transparent writing to date. Themes of surrender, healing, and the slow rebuilding of trust weave throughout the project. The title track,“ Come to Jesus,” sets the tone with an invitation rooted not in triumphal hype but in honest need— the kind of invitation that resonates deeply with listeners who know what it means to come to the end of themselves. Other songs explore repentance and dependence in ways that feel mature and unforced, offering listeners not just worship moments but pastoral reassurance.
A personal favorite and one that my own church will soon be singing is the opening southern rocker,“ Where the Power Is”. This joyful anthem is backed by an upright piano, funky bass lines and slide guitar as Stanfill triumphantly proclaims the saving power of Jesus. RIVER VALLEY WORSHIP First Light / Last Word
1. Time To Wake Up( Instrumental) 2. Morning Psalm 3. Prodigal Road 4. Welcome Home Again
( Instrumental) 5. Where I Wanna be 6. First Light / Last Word 7. Reverence 8. Evening Psalm
River Valley Worship is a collective of worship pastors, songwriters, and musicians based out of River Valley Church in the Twin Cities. Most well known for their 2018 Christian Billboard song,“ Hope Has A Name”, River Valley strives to give the church artfully crafted songs that pioneer new sonic landscapes while bringing God’ s people into his peaceful presence during worship.
Musically, the album leans toward a gentle, ambient worship palette with two of the eight tracks,“ Time to Wake Up” and the title track being purely instrumental which creates a reflective space that could be powerful in a corporate worship setting or in one’ s personal time with God. These bookend pieces establish a mood of sunrise and sunset respectively while the vocal tracks in between such as“ Morning Psalm” and“ Reverence” offer a balance of lyrical focus and melodic accessibility with clean arrangements and heart-felt lyrics.
Lyrically and thematically, the album is strong in its motif of divine faithfulness through all hours: the dawn of hope, the walk of faith, the return to rest in God. This is not your stand-up-andclap your hands type of worship but rather a slower, focused and intentional offering of quiet praise to our faithful Father.
First Light / Last Word is a thoughtful and well-crafted worship project from River Valley Worship. It doesn’ t aim to dominate the soundtrack of Sunday morning with highvoltage worship, but rather to carve out space for day-long devotion— from the first light of waking to the last word of praise. If you’ re looking for an album that invites you into the presence of God in both motion and stillness, this one is a welcome companion.
Come To Jesus is a great album with an appropriate mix of subtle, more personal worship offerings and rocking celebratory songs of hope, all of which prioritize authenticity and personal relationship over spectacle and performance. Stanfill poured his entire self into this project, and the church will benefit with some great new songs because of it.
Their latest release entitled First Light / Last Word is a creative and contemplative worship journey look through the arc of a believer’ s day: dawn, activity, reflection and rest with each track reminding the worshiper that God calls us to be in constant prayer and that every moment of every day should be an act of worship.
Gerod Bass Worship leader in Tacoma, WA. Mentor with Worship Catalyst. Singer, songwriter, guitarist with a passion for impacting lives for the sake of the Gospel. www. oslc. com
18 December 2025 Subscribe for Free...