My Review of Haydon Spenceley's Heart Strings

Some of the most intriguing modern worship music has come from Great Britain. You can add Heart Strings, the new album from Haydon Spenceley, to that list.

Heart Strings’s title reflects the album’s focus: man to God, God to man. In each track, Spenceley’s lyrics delve past man’s artificial layers and offer a glimpse into the love and longing of a relationship with the Lord.

Spenceley takes an experimental approach, infusing chilling vocals with rich layers of electronic instrumentation. Picture the intersection of Coldplay and Owl City. From the subdued passion of “Crying” to the fiery, guitar-driven chorus of “Save My Day,” Heart Strings is the sort of album that reveals fresh nuances with repeated listens.

Spenceley takes his time. He releases short lyrical bursts from the depths of his soul, then allows those words to soak into his listeners as the instrumentation washes over them. For me, it struck images of a man floating in the middle of the Atlantic at midnight, with nowhere to focus but heavenward. It contains the intimacy and desperation of a heart that craves God.

Among the album’s highlights:

“Life in Me” contrasts man’s limitations with God’s infinite grace. The song’s honesty puts a bittersweet ache in your heart.

Spenceley takes an intriguing turn with “Crying,” a thought-provoking commentary on discord that can occur between branches of Christianity—as seen through the eyes of God Himself.

But I must say, Heart Strings’s gem is found in its title track, where an upbeat bounce climaxes with an irresistible chorus.

Heartfelt. Genuine. Stirring. Without apology, Haydon Spenceley’s Heart Strings cuts to the core of human existence and exposes the beauty of man’s desperation for the Savior.