The Analog Sessions

Shawn McDonald's years as a drug-dealing street kid—as well as his embrace of the Christian faith—have formed the backstory to his work as a singer/songwriter. If sin and struggle have given his lyrics depth of experience, a widening musical palette has added sophisticated touches to the blend of acoustic folk and soul that gained him notice at the start. The Analog Sessions helps put the evolution of his talents in context; it reimagines familiar arrangements and unifies the material in a stripped-back production setting. The bluegrass inflections of “Gravity” and the stark piano testimony of “Beautiful” bring a fresh perspective to these early compositions. The treatments given to “Closer,” “Captivated,” and “Through It All” are warm and spacious, as intimate as a back-porch jam and as heartfelt as a Sunday-morning testimony. “Eyes Forward” and “Rise” reaffirm McDonald’s ability to match laid-back rhythms with a fervent message of redemption. The new songs “What Are We Waiting For” and “Through It All” complement the previously recorded tunes with their praise-filled lyrics and breezy, uplifting grooves.