The three members of CAIN might have initially had dreams of becoming the next Lady A, but if the siblings still doubt that Christian music is their rightful home, their sophomore effort, “Jesus Music,” should swiftly dispel their fears. Much like their acclaimed debut, “Rise Up,” “Jesus Music” fuses the trio’s country aspirations with the CCM pop they were raised on, all held together by their always-on-point familial harmonies.
The title-cut is as funky as it is creative. The only thing that might beat the breezy, clever standout is the song’s official music video, which features the group FaceTiming with their Christian music heroes as they lip-synch their respective lyrics CAIN carefully weaves throughout the album’s namesake. Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns, Matt Redman and more make cameos in the clip — providing a pinch-me moment for the Alabama natives who are now following in their footsteps.
“Hebrews 12 opens with ‘Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run the race marked before us.’ This is what ‘Jesus Music’ represents to us,” the group’s Taylor Cain Matz, Madison Cain Johnson and Logan Cain collectively share about the project. “It’s a thank you note to the ‘great cloud’ of Christian artists who came before us and the believers who walk beside us. It’s an encouragement to the next generation to fall in love with Jesus and to make Jesus Music of their own.”
The nostalgia of “Jesus Music” extends to the intentionally cliché “WWJD,” an ode to the ’90s bracelet craze that took every Christian youth group by storm. The trio contends the once popular fashion accessory might be a thing of the past, but the question it asks never goes out of style.
Meanwhile, the effervescent pop of “Any More” has “smash” written all over it. Coupling an instantly memorable hook with lyrics that radiate the unconditional love of the Father, the record’s lead single is the crown jewel in “Jesus Music’s” colorful cap. The track is made even sweeter by the fact that all three Cain siblings are new parents, and they penned “Any More” with their infants in mind.
“As a new mom, I’m starting to understand the love of God a little bit better. When I look at my daughter, Stevie, I don’t need anything in return from her. There’s nothing she could do to change the amount of love that I have for her,” Taylor says of the ultimate inspiration behind the song. “The enemy lies to us, tries to tell us that we’ve made too many mistakes, that we’re too far gone, and that God couldn’t love us any more. We hope when you hear this song, you can sing it victoriously knowing the truth is that God couldn’t love you any more than He does right now.”
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Despite thinking of their children while writing it, “Any More” carries a universal message of love. However, the chart-topping trio traverses more personal territory on “10 and 2,” a toast to “messes in the kitchen” and “laundry on the floor” as they reflect on navigating first-time parenthood together. Painting a portrait of nearly 18 years across three minutes, the tear-inducing track takes listeners from that first nerve-racking ride home from the hospital to the teenager behind the wheel pulling out of the drive.
“Windows Down” reveals another deeply intimate selection, honoring the testimony of Logan’s wife, Emily, who surrendered her life to Jesus in her car and committed to a journey of sobriety. The exquisite “Now That I Know You” is the perfect follow-up, with Taylor singing lead on both tracks. The latter acknowledges the definitive change that occurs when we discover and cultivate a genuine relationship with God and possesses some of the album’s most thoughtful lines: “Now that I know You, the storm that used to take me out is just a gentle rain falling down. Now that I know You, the dark that used to scare me then is now Your shadow I am hiding in. Oh, I know me now that I know You.”
Elsewhere, expansive songs like “Made For Heaven” and “Through Jesus” present massive, heavily produced offerings that have enough heft to eventually transition CAIN from playing large churches to headlining amphitheaters and beyond. Yet, it’s the subtle swagger of “Trouble” that garners the most attention. A threat to the devil, the darkly confident selection features the tightest vocals of the entire set. Stacked halfway to heaven, “Trouble” proves CAIN’s superpower is their three-part harmony.
A more mature, more personal collection on the whole, “Jesus Music” is a fitting next chapter in the CAIN story. Somehow, the K-LOVE Fan Award winners manage to lean on their formative CCM influences while still crafting their own unique sound that hovers somewhere between Little Big Town, Fleetwood Mac and We The Kingdom. It should also be noted that the siblings are coming into their own as songwriters and musicians — co-writing all of their own music and playing their own instruments during their buzzworthy live shows.
Based on the solid showing of these 11 originals, it wouldn’t be surprising to find a new generation of artists sampling CAIN lyrics two decades from now. Perhaps that’s the greatest compliment the “I’m So Blessed” singers could ever receive.
In the meantime, fans can hear fresh tunes from “Jesus Music” on the fall leg of the band’s “Live & In Color Tour.” Additionally, they can follow the siblings’ still-unfolding journey by way of “Chasing CAIN,” their all-new documentary-style reality series premiering exclusively on the TBN app.
