Kate Hurley's "Sleeping When You Woke Me" is everything that's right about the roots rock genre, fresh and folky.
If your spirit is weary of the occasionally crass and celebrity-driven Christian music industry, may I suggest as a refreshing antidote Kate Hurley’s sophomore album, Sleeping When You Woke Me.
Hurley was a featured artist on Enter the Worship Circle: Third Circle and contributed to the popular Absolute Worship series. But Sleeping When You Woke Me is all Kate, from the first note-bending moments of passionate opener “Tree Branch” to the warmly communal feel of the stunning closer “When You Carry.” The album does retain that eclectic, organic Worship Circle feel, but Hurley adds to it brilliantly evocative lyrics and creative composition to serve up 15 tracks of engaging roots rock that deeply satisfies.
It’s not all granola; Hurley covers a wide range of styles here and handles each masterfully. I love the graceful guitar noodling of bouncy folk-pop track “When He Dreams,” the country-tinged rocker “My Angel,” and the slow-burning bluesy changes of “Always Have You,” dripping with honest passion. Actually, passion is Hurley’s forte; whether delivered in the moving and compassionate story of “Hey Little Girl,” or in the haunting refrain of the delicate “You Are Not Alone.” She is fully present in every track, provoking, stimulating, and ultimately luring you with both the beauty and the power of her expressive songs. One standout track is the exquisite piano ballad, “Come Quickly,” with image-rich lyrics like: “Come, come quickly/I feel like the ocean/reaching for the moon,” and “Sometimes when I weep/I run like I am free/I run ‘til I am covered in You.” The track tacks on a classical Brahms reprise that ties in beautifully.
Hurley’s husky vocals contrast nicely with the album’s rootsy arrangements, tearing it up on the bluesy rocker “Only Your Love,” notable also for its sparkling cello and banjo touches. Also worth mentioning is the majestic “Stronger Than Death,” ripped directly from Song of Solomon, and the atmospheric worshipful “Passionate Beautiful,” my favorite track. Not a measure is wasted here, and every lyric is a potent zinger to the soul: “The most beautiful thing I have ever seen/ is Your love for me, written with nails at Calvary/ poured out in red that washes clean/ so strong that death has bent its knee.”
The only weakness on Sleeping When You Woke Me is the occasionally tinny production values, showing up to distract from “Come To Me” and the lovely and plaintive “Maybe.” But all is forgiven by the time you reach the warmly organic closer “When You Carry.” Its bluegrass instrumentation and the full choir sound backing it up leave you smiling and looking forward to the wonderful Day it describes so powerfully: “All the rivers will kneel before You/ and the stars will dance for joy/ All the rocks will sing hallelujah/ When You carry, carry us away.” Oh yes, come, Lord Jesus.
