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Justin McRoberts is by no means a new name in Christian music, having already released two albums on Five Minute Walk Records. However, now with Five Minute Walk's temporary hiatus, McRoberts has set out on his own with his independent release Trust. The fact that Trust is an independently released album may help it to appeal more to those who like music for the sake of music and not popularity.

To understand where McRoberts is coming from on this album it is first necessary to look at his first two releases. The debut Reason for Living was a journal of McRobert's time with Young Life, an organization that he supports strongly to this day. Not only did McRoberts find God through the efforts of Young Life, but he also found an outlet to minister to others. After the release of Reason for Living, tragedy struck. McRobert's father was suffering from depression and as a result committed suicide. This led to the material for _Father_, an album that found McRoberts venturing into a very sad and melancholy kind of songwriting due to the heavy subject matter. Yet at the same time, Father contained a message of hope that could only have been so powerful because of the story that it told. 

Two years later, Trust was released. Though Trust is the newest album from McRoberts, in a way it is a pre-sequel of sorts, going back to the time before he became a Christian and striving to induce Christian listeners to feel compassion for the lost. The music of Trust doesn't venture far from that off McRobert's past albums, staying in the territory of acoustic with whatever other instruments seem to work at the time. Trust oddly feels more overproduced than the previous album Father, despite its independent status. At times I want to tell McRoberts to get rid of the other instruments and just play his acoustic guitar.

Indeed, the music is truest and best when it is just McRoberts and his 6-string. We see the musical promise McRoberts holds midway through the album with "Alone Together," "Portland," and "Beautiful Once." "Portland" reminds me of the music of Denison Witmer. The song is vulnerable and honest and soft enough to accept without thinking twice. "Beautiful Once" is faster-paced, but it is also raw and meaningful. These songs find their beauty in their simplicity, a lesson that I wish McRoberts had adhered to with the rest of the album. It was almost as if a separate album began midway through Trust only to be silenced after a few minutes with more typical McRoberts CCM-influenced fare. 

To be fair, the music on Trust is as good as that on Father. Yet I liked Father much more because it was an album with true meaning. Trust feels too much like a filler album, something to hold fans over until the next release when hopefully there will be a new sound and something weighty to sing about once again. I find myself hoping that when that next album comes it will be more organic and head in the direction that "Portland" took. 

Trae Cadenhead 7/15/2002

Justin McRoberts is a completely new artist to me.  Until listening to Trust, I knew nothing about him, hadn’t heard any of his music, and basically went in with absolutely no preconceptions.  I can now say that Justin McRoberts is a very talented songwriter who has crafted a wonderful album in Trust, an album that looks at all aspects of life, and love, and does so without the usual CCM rose-colored glasses.

“Dangerous” has a Beatles-style piano background, with McRoberts’ vocals falling somewhere between Paul Carrack and Matthew Sweet.  It deals with the fear that comes in forming deep relationships because of the pain that can be involved if the relationships end.  “Not Even Tired” realizes the importance in changing oneself before trying to change the world. 

“Enemy” cuts to the heart, describing how a person fixed on the negative can do Satan’s job for him:

I’ve fallen like so many fools my age
Throwing stones at all who cross me
I won’t become a victim of my rage
Lord, give me love for the enemy…

“You Wouldn’t Know” may be the most powerful commentary here.  Often Christians can overwhelm those they are trying to win with the force of their arguments, rather than showing them the love of Christ:

I’m fascinated by why you believe
What you believe, not why I don’t

You wouldn’t know
You never stopped your talking
I never got a word in edgewise to tell you I believed it…

Trust is a very well put together CD, proceeding from one theme to another, but at all times centered on drawing closer to God and eliminating the sins that separate.  McRoberts manages to minister, while showing a great amount of musical ability at the same time.   I will be checking out more of McRoberts’ catalog as a result.

Brian A. Smith 7/14/2002

An independent release is a Catch-22 for an artist.  Normally, the artist has the freedom to record without the constraints of a label and marketing plan, and thus, can make the project more of a true artistic endeavor.  However, that freedom can often lead to lack of discretion in the making of the project, and the artist is normally forced to cover the entire project’s funding. 

This is the situation that Justin McRobert’s finds himself on his newest offering, Trust.  His fourth album and second independent release after a stint with 5-Minute Walk Records, Trust is filled with acoustic guitar driven songs that linger around relational circumstances and the vulnerability that comes with relationships.

“Dangerous” finds McRoberts seemingly scoffing at his own lack of trust in relationships.   With a charmingly quirky, piano melody as a backdrop, McRoberts sings, “Blame it on my parents, blame it on my past…you can call on my fear and insecurity I’m just trying to rescue from saving me.  I don’t want your love it’s dangerous.”  The opener is one of McRoberts best, both lyrically and musically.

“Not Tired Yet” follows and seems to be the other side of the opener.  Sung from the perspective of one persevering through a relationship, the song responds to much of McRoberts struggles in “Dangerous.”  “Portland” introduces the listener to the “melancholic McRoberts” dealing with his first time away from his wife.  McRoberts bleeds brutal honesty as he sings, “It’s amazing just how still this place can be.  It’s amazing just how far away you seem when you’re only in Portland.”

Other highlights include an enjoyable musical romp on “You Wouldn’t Know” (a loving, backhanded slap across the face to those who love to hear their own voice) and the title track, which is one of the only songs on Trust that deals primarily with relationship between God and man.

Often times comparable vocally to Derek Webb of Caedmon’s Call, McRoberts never gives a half-hearted effort in his vocal delivery, yet slips occasionally on the lyrical side.  “She” and “They Care,” bonus tracks serving as the caboose of Trust, might have been better left off the project.  The songs contain some of the most personal content on the album, but could use some serious lyrical polish or be better served as McRoberts’ own personal rant-relief. 

McRoberts is a talented musician who deserves more of a musical spotlight and Trust might garner him more recognition.  However, he might want to be a bit choosier in the song selection process next time. 

Matt Williams 8/5/2002