Brave

Brave finds this 21-year-old Californian adopting a tougher pop/rock sound that matches her increased confidence as a vocalist. The album’s songs reflect Peters’ recent life-changing experiences, including marriage (to For King and Country’s Joel Smallbone) and a serious health scare. A newfound maturity is evident in tracks like “Oh Fear (My God Is Near),” “Don’t Want to Live for Me,” and “Born to Be Free,” reflecting both an adult sense of life’s demands and an unshakable personal faith. Smallbone coproduces with Seth Mosley; they bring out the tunes' inspirational spirit with a bold production approach built around layered synthesizers, stirring near-martial rhythms, and massed background vocals. The thunderous tribal beat of the title track and the pizzicato-like synth lines of “Waterfall” especially stand out sonically. More intimate in scale is “I’ll Wait for You,” a romantic Peters/Smallbone duet with the playful feel of a Dave Barnes tune. Rounding out Brave is an expansive, piano-centered version of “Give Me Jesus” and a quirkily appealing retake of the title track featuring rapper Andy Mineo.