Dove Tumour by Bec Armour
Thoughts on the new album by one of the most comforting new voices on the scene.
Hi Pal,
Many long-lasting relationships begin with a simple chance encounter. In 2021, stumbling on two singles from Bec Armour — Majestic and Rest — were enough to give me a good sense of how I would feel about an album from her. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait for too long.
Dove Tumour is an album crafted for the quiet moments and it never deviates from this general cadence. It begins with “Sweet Wine”, an acoustic tune bolstered by soothing strings — a consistent theme on this album — and a feature from Jack Field. It’s a song about dwelling in Christ and an encouragement to wait for Him to make things perfect in His time.
“Count It All Joy” is quite short and the blissful harmonies and chants only make me wish it was longer. Inspired by the words of James in the Bible (James 1:2-3), it carries on the encouragement of the previous song and acts as an unofficial B-side in my opinion.
“For He So Loved” is a warm and heartfelt piano-led ballad. It’s the first single that was released from this project and you only need to hear it once to understand why. With lyrics that stand as a powerful and bold declaration of the truth of the gospel:
He has rescued us
From the domain of darkness
And transferred us to the Kingdom
Of His beloved Son
Oh in whom
We have redemption
Oh forgiveness
Of sin
The song is progressive, with swelling strings that build up to a crescendo before slowly fading out. I love everything about it.
“Steadfast” is my favourite song on the album and it’s also a piano-led tune. The strings on this one really set it apart from everything else on this project but my love for it goes beyond any technical descriptions I can give.
There’s something about the arrangement of the song, the instrumentation and the lyrics that can make you feel like you’re experiencing Bec Armour in her private moment with God. It’s not a song that is speaking to us as listeners. Instead, it’s her communicating directly with Her creator and there’s an intimacy to this approach that is very endearing to me.
On “Love Never Fails”, she collaborates with Eliza King, another artist that I love, as they sing lyrics inspired by 1 Corinthians 13. “Mightier” is another tune that ended too quickly for me. In less than two minutes, she delivered a song with two distinct parts and as soon as the switch happened (you’ll know it when you hear it, trust me) I didn’t want the song to stop.
The album ends with an instrumental rendition of “Perfect Peace”, a single she released in 2022. It’s a beautiful album closer, even for those who do not know the original song because it fits the ambience of the album flawlessly and brings this journey to a satisfying conclusion. Although, I would still recommend the original tune to anyone who has not heard it.
Bec Armour mentioned on her Instagram, the experiences that helped to give birth to this project. It’s difficult to know the full details, but this album could have easily been an album of lament or pain and I wouldn’t mind. I’ve often talked about — sometimes even on this platform — how I believe there is a place for pain and Godly sorrow in the creative expressions of a Christian. A few of my standout projects this year have covered such themes.
Still, I’m glad that this album is one of encouragement and worship. It comes across as sincere and heartfelt so I can’t help connecting deeply with it.
I started this review by talking about chance encounters and long-lasting relationships. If this album is any indication of the future, I will be listening to Bec Armour for years to come.
Genre(s): Chamber Folk, Acoustic, Worship
Listen Here:
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Connect with Bec Armour
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That’s it for today.
Catch you soon!
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