Christian Album Review: Patrick Mayberry’s Wild Faith

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Centricity Music releases Patrick Mayberry’s first full-length album, Wild Faith. A native of Cookeville, Tennessee, Mayberry signed on with Centricity Publishing as a songwriter in 2018. He has penned songs recorded by Passion, Josh Baldwin, David Leonard, Chris Renzema, North Point Worship, and others. He released his own EP Joy, and Live In My Living Room in 2019, after which Centricity Music signed him as an artist. His first release under Centricity Music was his EP Holy Spirit Come in 2021.

Patrick Mayberry has been praying Psalm 23 and says,

“God’s track record has proven He’s a good and faithful shepherd, so I’m going to keep following, step by step. I’m going to trust Him, so lead on Good Shepherd,” (Lead On, Good Shepherd also being the name of track five of the album).

Its overall flavor leans into the country-ish side of the modern worship sound. Tracks like Lead On, Good Shepherd recorded with Crowder and, to some degree, Easy To Praise, show great creativity. But Mayberry stays conservative with the album as a whole.

Music

Mayberry’s melodies stay within a reasonable range with well-placed straightforward rhythms that are memorable and very singable. The musical backing uses standard studio elements for the recording, but the songs have plenty of room for more expression during live performances.

Songs

Never Stop Singing leads off the album with a chorus based on Revelation 4:8, “Day and night they never stop saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the All-powerful One. He is the One who was and Who is and Who is to come.” (NLT). It moves at a good clip with a heavy bass drum pumping out four-on-the-flour. The song has great energy and will be a hit during his live concerts.

The title track Wild Faith, with guest vocals from Kalley Heiligenthal, explores how, “We’ve domesticated our faith so much that we’ve taken the wild adventure out of it,” according to Mayberry. Although the tactus is a leisurely 71 bpm, the song has wonderful dynamics and energy. Give Me Jesus is an ode to the Afro-American spiritual hymn (1849). Mayberry uses the moving chorus as a prayer reminiscent of David’s pleas from the Cave of Adullam. This is fitting, as David, above all else, had a wild faith.

Lead On Good Shepherd is the standout track. This song shows Mayberry has more to offer than standard CCM stuff. It has a strong groove, and the backing track breaks out of the run-of-the-mill modern worship musical elements. The melody is strong and it’s just fun to listen to. This one will go on my personal playlist.

Final Thoughts

Centricity Music says Wild Faith is, “Straddling the line between songs meant for congregational worship, concert experiences, radio airplay, and personal reflections.” I agree it will get radio airplay and downloads. The energy in songs like Never Stop Singing and Lead On Good Shepherd will make a great concert experience. A few songs may be accessible by a large, well-versed worship team, but probably not the most accessible by the average church for corporate worship.

Patrick Mayberry uses scripture-based themes and the Afro-American spiritual hymn Give Me Jesus to create an energizing listening experience.

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I would love to see Mayberry explore more songs like Lead On Good Shepherd and Give Me Jesus.

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Patrick Mayberry on The Walk

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Christopher Watson

Christopher Watson is an author of six books, both fiction and non-fiction. He is also a musician and composer with a B.A. in Music from Azusa Pacific University. For several years Christopher led worship at The Springs Church while attending Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas Texas. He's been involved with worship in a number of churches in California and the Pacific Northwest both as a musician and in production and technology. Now he lives and writes in Washington State with his amazing wife, wonderful daughters, and highly intelligent dog, Ellie Mae.