Come to the Well

Come to the Well—Casting Crowns' first studio album in two years—extends their message further by using the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman (from John 4: 3-42) as its key unifying theme. Lead singer/songwriter Mark Hall emphasizes God's renewing power by reaching across human divisions (“City on a Hill”), advocating compassion (“Jesus, Friend of Sinners”), and celebrating Christ as the one source of healing (the title song). “Courageous”—taken from an upcoming film of the same title—is an inspirational call aimed specifically at men. Hall takes his group’s sound in a more nuanced direction this time out, largely avoiding thunderous pop/rock in favor of semi-acoustic textures (though “My Own Worst Enemy” adds aggressive energy to the mix). The final track, “So Far to Find You” (cowritten by Hall with Steven Curtis Chapman), likens the entrance of an adopted child into a family with God’s embrace of believers, closing Come to the Well on a loving, intimate note.