Sadly, based on the first two songs on the disc, if Agnew does have success, it will be undeserved. Something Beautiful and New Name leave this disc falling behind quickly and already having to do something to prove it worthwhile. Something Beautiful is not a terrible song. Musically, it's about what you'd expect from Agnew. The same can be said about the vocals. But the lyrics are tough lyrics. Not head-scratcher, thought-provoking lyrics, but tough as in "Did he really just write a song that way?" It's a song that is slow from the start and catching up throughout. New Name, on the other hand, falls flat on it's face. The lyrics are boring, the vocals are bland, and the music is terrible. It's a really bad way to begin a disc.
However, the entire disc is not so horrible. Tracks like Unchanging One, Always There and My Jesus offer rays of hope in a disc searching for something. Always There and My Jesus in particular are the two best tracks offered on this disc. Always There is single material, with simplistic yet inspired lyrics, solid vocals and quality music. My Jesus, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. The music is somewhat different than most of Todd's other stuff, the vocals are all over the place, and the lyrics...the lyrics completely make this song. A song that most Christians probably don't want to hear, it is a track that shatters the conceptions that many Christians have of who Christ was, the Jesus that has been shaped by "the American dream." As Agnew points out at one point during the song: 'Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church/The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet. He takes a risk by basically taking a shot at many of his listeners. But, in the end, it turns into a truly quality track, arguably one of the most hard-hitting tracks to come out of the Christian contemporary/pop/rock realm for quite some time.
If only Agnew could write the rest of his songs in such a way. Instead, many of the tracks leave much to be desired. The middle of this disc is marred by tracks that always end up leaving something out that could've turned the songs into great tracks.Whether it be a lack of solid music, a lack of good vocals, or a lack of lyrics that aren't lazy, Mercy In Me, The Wonder Of It All and In The Middle Of Me all just seem to be lacking in one area or another. And, while Agnew did a solid cover of Amazing Grace (his track Grace Like Rain) on the last disc, he doesn't get the same magic going when he does It Is Well With My Soul, a hidden track on this disc. It's 7 minutes and 48 seconds of complete boredom that should be avoided if at all possible.
Overall, this disc does not deliver at all. Yes, there are a few tracks that do quite nicely for themselves and one that should probably be heard by everyone who calls themself a Christian so they can get a little perspective on the Jesus they're worshipping. But, aside from that, this disc is pretty close to worthless. Take away My Jesus and you have a disc that is quite posssibly one of the best definitions of a Sophomore Slump I've ever seen in CD form.