What If We (CD - 2008)

The follow up to his major label debut, DON'T GET COMFORTABLE, Brandon Heath's second album, WHAT IF WE, continues the strengths of its predecessor. An earnest but not humorless singer-songwriter with a knack for mainstream pop hooks, Heath has the potential to become a major force in contemporary Christian music thanks to songs like the first single, "Give Me Your Eyes," and the impassioned "Trust You."

Were it not for the surprise hit "I'm Not Who I Was," Nashville-based singer/songwriter Brandon Heath would have had trouble getting his underwhelming debut, Don't Get Comfortable, noticed by the masses, let alone garner enough attention to earn him a Dove award for New Artist of the Year -- one of CCM's highest honors. The feat was unexpected, but it appears to have given Heath new traction to go back to basics and focus on what he really is: an unassuming folk-pop tunesmith, much like a young Bebo Norman. The result of that reevaluation is What If We, a disc that expounds on the easygoing nature of "I'm Not Who I Was" and Heath's knack for Everyman observations, which he sets to an uncomplicated, acoustic pop backdrop. Heath's vocal friendliness and melodic pleasantries go a long way in asserting his guy-next-door persona, never more evident than in the delightfully self-effacing "Wait and See," where he openly admits that God "is not finished with me yet." Heath is a fellow traveler, a work in progress, as much in need of divine perspective ("Give Me Your Eyes"), affection ("London"), and a sense of belonging ("When I'm Alone") as the next person. In this sense, Heath is ahead of -- or, depending on one's point of view, behind -- the Christian music contingent that explains away all of life's problems by the end of a three-minute single. As open-ended as its title, What If We is far from having all the answers -- and for that matter, it's all too staid to reinvent the CCM wheel -- but it's likable and faith-assuring enough to further establish Heath as a singer/songwriter on the rise. ~ Andree Farias minimize