Today's Country

As he has done in the past with his releases like For All You've Done and Welcome Home, Soldier, preacher turned musician/artist Russ Murphy has continued to let people into his life and the love that he has for God, country, and family with his latest release My Grandmother's Prayers. Playing his brand of faith driven music combined with his love of country music lands him on a line that he walks between both genres as they have always sort of gone hand in hand. With the more Christian based songs like the album opening "I Believe In Jesus Christ," along with cuts like the country-flavored "Cowboys Love Jesus, Too" and "Without His Love," Murphy showers you with great stories and great emotion and feelings as he outlines the importance of Jesus Christ in everyone's life including his own. He also wears the love of his country, the USA, and for the troops that service it proudly on his sleeve with cuts like "America's Heroes." However, as great as these tracks all may be, the one that stirs the most emotion and acts as a centerpiece to the album is its title track "My Grandmother’s Prayers." The lyric is well-crafted as the doors to Murphy’s life open wide up and he allows you to walk right into it as he sings about his grandmother, Mrs. J. Nolan Murphy, and the role that she played on who he is today as she taught him hymns and Christ’s love early on in his life and how that impact led him to preaching. This album is easily the most open that we have seen from Russ Murphy. The story-telling in his songs is top-notch and draws you into this album while the musicianship has improved greatly. The open door feeling that this album gives you engulfs you and puts you into the middle of a conversation with a friend. If you are a fan of country music with a Christian base that presents positive messages about Jesus Christ, family, country, and more, then this is an album well worth spinning.