Louder Than The Music

Kim Walker-Smith - Wild Heart

Artist:

Kim Walker-Smith

Title:

Wild Heart

Type:

Album

Released:

14 Aug 2020

LTTM Rating:

Readers Rating:

(1 vote)

Your Rating:

Listen

Review

Jesus Culture's Kim Walker-Smith releases her first solo project in three years. Her new worship album, Wild Heart explores themes of life, beginning again, and returning to our first love, and is a collection of live-recorded songs and moments that are joyful, raw, honest, and intimate.

"My last record, On My Side, was a collection of songs written from a desert season of my life. I was processing grief, anger, and pain. God met me in the desert and brought life and healing," explains Kim Walker-Smith of the seasons that led to the new album. "Emerging from the desert...
Read More Jesus Culture's Kim Walker-Smith releases her first solo project in three years. Her new worship album, Wild Heart explores themes of life, beginning again, and returning to our first love, and is a collection of live-recorded songs and moments that are joyful, raw, honest, and intimate.

"My last record, On My Side, was a collection of songs written from a desert season of my life. I was processing grief, anger, and pain. God met me in the desert and brought life and healing," explains Kim Walker-Smith of the seasons that led to the new album. "Emerging from the desert ushered me into a season fresh with new life. This new album is a strong declaration of freedom and who God is. On the other side of a desert season are growth, a deeper connection to Jesus, and a new authority."

Wild Heart, her fifth album, was recorded live at the Cascade Theater in Redding, California in February before the pandemic hit the country. The location is important as it is where she was married and where her album Still Believe was recorded.

I would like to welcome Kim back, I can't believe it's been three years since her last record On My Side. Yet with Wild it doesn't feel like she has ever been away. In many ways this record is a total Kim Walker-Smith album and starts where we left Kim, but once you start to dig deeper into the lyrics of the album you can hear this album is a total flip to On My Side. Kim deals with issues here, of course, but she also is in a different space, a different season and that comes over, you can even feel and see that from the album art.

It kind of goes without saying that Kim's vocals are so distinctive, they have kind of become 'normal' or maybe the better word is more well known, when you hear other artists copying her vocal style you know she is a trend setter. I'm sure if you ask Kim she never set out to be a trend setter, she set out to bring people closer to God through worship and with this album and all her albums she does it again. One of the biggest forms of flattery is knowing that just by being your normal, wonderful self you make someone fall in love with your talent. I think this goes for Kim, but what she also does is by being herself and loving God, people see this love for God and want to know more and it's something we should all strive for, being ourselves and reflecting God will make others fall in love with God. But this isn't a sermon, this is about worshipping God in musical art.

As with all Kim songs and, Jesus Culture songs, they are always on the longer side to give the song space to grow and breath, especially when they are recorded live. Some songs worked brilliantly like this but sometimes when you are looking for a quick listen to a song it kind of feels it could drag on. But here is the point I have discussed with many people, Jesus Culture don't do 3 minute pop songs, they want the Holy Spirit to move. If you are listening to their songs with thousand of other worshippers, in your bedroom, in the car, on the way to the shops or even in the kitchen when the madness of life is happening all around. Jesus Culture and of course on Kim's solo albums have done this so well and continue to do that.

On this album we have so many big moments to get lost in, but we also have more intimate songs and moments than I have ever seen Kim record before and it's here that we see and hear the vocal talents of Kim go to another level. As an album it interestingly doesn't sound as Live as you might expect, but that doesn't take away from the power of the songs. I could listen to these songs over and over but there is nobody better to lead us to God and His feet than the vocals of Kim Walker Smith and the teams at Jesus Culture.

Review by Jono Davies

LTTM Rating 4.5 Out of 5 Stars
Standout Tracks
Returning
Stones
Wild Heart

Video

Articles

Jesus Culture's Kim Walker-Smith Releases New Live Worship Album 'Wild Heart'

News

Get 'Wild Heart'

Track Listing

Kim Walker-Smith - Wild Heart

Listen

Review

Video

Articles

Jesus Culture's Kim Walker-Smith Releases New Live Worship Album 'Wild Heart'

Jesus Culture's Kim Walker-Smith Releasing New Album, 'Wild Heart' In August

Kim Walker-Smith - Breathing Room

Kim Walker-Smith - Wild Heart

Other Kim Walker-Smith Releases

Rooftops (Live from Cape Town)

Trample

Trample

Mama

Let Revival In

Boxes