Sign up for our free newsletter:

There's too many singers and groups recording worship music nowadays, but not nearly enough worship artists engaging in the act of adoration with their craft. Art is, after all, a viable expression of worship, and thankfully, Rita Springer does it very well. Since her Floodgate debut in 2000, Springer has been turning heads with her potent alto voice and her no-holds-barred brand of passionate worship, a music prophetess of sorts who wears her heart for God on her sleeve.

Her first studio album in three years, I Have to Believe is another stepping-stone in her acclaimed career. Producers Nathan Nockels (Watermark) and Margaret Becker do a good job of polishing up the rough edges that characterized Springer's earlier recordings, making this a more refined and inspirational disc. In spite of these changes, Springer still remains as confessional as ever in her first-person declarations, which force you to stop and take notice rather than engage you in corporate singing. Though Springer is unpretentious all around, she unconsciously demands listener attention, as in the arresting gospel ballad "I Have to Believe," complete with a fine backing choir.

But it's not during these mountaintop moments that Springer shines the brightest. It's really the subtleties of her music that make it truly special, like the frailty of her voice in the prayer "O God of Mine," the time signature change in the middle of "You Are Good," or even the way she reinterprets other people's tunes (Delirious' "Rain Down"). Of the few covers, her tender rendition of the Vineyard tune "More Than a Friend" is breathtaking, as is the majority of the softer selections.

Once again, Springer has succeeded at crafting an album that interweaves worship and artistry with vulnerability and simplicity, in a way that proves that she might as well be the best-kept secret in worship music.

© Andree Farias, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

Click here to view our music review archives.

Visit the artist pages for related interviews and reviews.

				Try an Issue of Today's Christian RISK-FREE! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Today's Christian coming, honor your invoice for just $17.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issues are yours to keep, regardless. Give Today's Christian as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!