Description
Look Up Child is the sophomore studio album by the American singer and songwriter Lauren Daigle, released on Centricity Music in September 2018.
The album’s first single, “You Say,” received critical acclaim, debuting at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 5 on Billboard’s all-genre Digital Song Sales List, and No. 2 on the all genre iTunes Chart. The official video garnered over 16 million views in the first few weeks of its release, making it Lauren’s fastest climbing single. The album debuted at number 3 on America’s mainstream Top 200 Album Chart published by Billboard. It also debuted at number one on the iTunes digital sales chart. In April 2024 the album was was certified 2x Platinum.
Look Up Child won a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album category at the 61th Annual Grammy Awards in 2019, and was as well voted Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards the same year.
One of the toughest challenges in the world of popular music is to follow up a megahit debut. As we all know, Lauren’s ‘How Can It Be‘ was the bestselling CCM album for years. I’m delighted to report that this second is in every way a better album and I have no doubt that ‘Look Up Child’ will be giving the Louisiana-born singer worldwide Christian radio hits for three or more years to come. The quality of Lauren’s vocal performances, the fine songwriting craft demonstrated here and the exemplary production make this a classic album which I’m confident will impact the world Church. Indeed such is its creative quality that a crossover to a sizeable number of non-Christians can also be anticipated. It opens magnificently with a song urging the forthcoming revival «Still Rolling Stones». Accompanied by a full-on gospel choir it’s a powerhouse starter. It also demonstrates the absurdity of that division between Christian and gospel music’s embarrassingly embraced by both the music industry and some parts of the Church. For there is no doubt that Lauren is a soulful singer. Next up the tempo slows for the soul ballad «Rescue» then «This Girl» with a slow-rise pattern which reaches a spine-tingling climax. Elsewhere there are largely ballads and mid-tempo songs, interspersed with occasional surprises, like the reggae-tinged «Under Your Wings» and the old hymn «Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus» with some surprisingly effective electronic drums. My favourite line on the entire album is “I’m losing my religion and finding something new.” You could preach a sermon on that line. Who knows? Maybe I will one day. Another memorable line, this time biting home on the song «Remember», is “I can’t stop thinking about your goodness.” Wherever you go though you’ll find delights like the piano-based ballad «Rebel Heart» where Daigle leads us to repentance or the title track with its African American gospel fire with an exhortation to look to God in our darkness. There have been one or two absurd reviews of ‘Look Up Child’ suggesting that Lauren’s approach is too close to Adele. Forget such nonsense. This is a stellar album from a toweringly talented song interpreter. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, September 2018]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/look-up-child/1447184494)
CD tracklist:
01. Still Rolling Stones – 4:08
02. Rescue – 3:35
03. This Girl – 4:33
04. Your Wings – 2:28
05. You Say – 4:34
06. Everything – 4:18
07. Love Like This – 4:14
08. Look Up Child – 3:03
09. Losing My Religion – 3:29
10. Remember – 3:58
11. Rebel Heart – 4:06
12. Inevitable – 2:40
13. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – 6:29
Note: Released on both CD and 12-inch vinyl double LP by Centricity Music. (Vinyl production was delayed, from the album’s release in early Sept 2018, until December 2018. It is a vinyl double LP housed in a gatefold sleeve and featuring separate lyric inserts for sides A/B and C/D. There are no song titles listed on the vinyl labels, only the Album Title/Artist/Side letter.)
“You Say” (MUSIC VIDEO)
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