Song Review: Iveth Luna’s “Just Like Jesus”

“It’s just like Jesus, to give strength when I need it, hope when I cannot see it, when I’m falling to pieces.”

Christopher Watson is an author of six books, both fiction…

Iveth Luna brings a powerful offering of hope in Jesus’ faithfulness to us. The Red Street Records “breakthrough CCM artist” has dropped her single, Just Like Jesus. In this song, Luna expresses her attitude of gratitude and her awe of God.

Written along with Cindy Morgan and AJ Pruis, Luna says, “… every lyric and melody felt like the journal entry of my heart for all He had done for me.” The release also has a music video directed by Travis Flynn with visuals that take the viewer on an emotional journey.

Lyrics and Theme

Just Like Jesus revolves around two themes of wanting to be more like Jesus with a second theme of Jesus’ faithfulness during challenges and hardships. The verses reflect the faithfulness theme, while the chorus reflects the ‘more like Jesus’ theme.

At first, the Just Like Jesus theme is shown in the lyric, “It’s just like Jesus, to give strength when I need it, hope when I cannot see it, when I’m falling to pieces.” But that theme later morphs with the bridge. Luna, Morgan, and Prius show this shift with the lyric, “Now I want to be just like Jesus, his hands, his feet, his arm reaching, he wanted me when nobody wanted me.”

Both themes are great and true, but mixing themes, even if they are related, can give a song a lack of focus. The primary theme of Jesus’ faithfulness is the strongest. The lyrics give compelling testimony to that truth that is encouraging, prophetic of his love for us as individuals, and testifies to the hope we have in Christ.

Music and Production

Luna uses a standard CCM sound with mostly electronic elements in the backing music. It starts with an arpeggiated piano using significant reverb that runs throughout the song. This provides a solid foundation for the piece. In the intro, a limited choral backing hints at what’s to come.

Electronic elements come in and out for variety that builds to a musical pause followed by the inevitable climax. Although the music provides no real originality, it is effective and provides a good canvas for Luna to paint on with her vocals. Luna’s vocals are strong and she stays in the melody’s context, which emphasizes the lyrics. After the choral foreshadowing at the start, limited backing vocals grow into a choir. Who said choral music is dead?

Final Thoughts

Iveth Luna brings a solid CCM song to the listener. It is not particularly original musically, but it shares what’s on her heart.

Great personal reflection on God’s faithfulness.

Less

Theme gets a little muddled.

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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.