For years, Benjamin William Hastings has penned some of the most acclaimed anthems of faith and worship. From the echoes of "So Will I (100 billion X)," to collaborating with people such as Brandon Lake, Cory Asbury, Mack Brock, and even the iconic ensemble Hillsong UNITED, Hastings's voice has been felt by many. Just two years after his self-titled album that featured 25 songs, which has been praised since its release, Hastings returns with a 12-track project titled Sold out, sincerely.

Hastings doesn't miss a beat combining beautiful lyricism in each stanza, creating something truly personal and pure. The divine essence of God is every bit present in this body of work. This album comes close to his previous self-titled album and very near to perfection.

"Jesus On A Cruise" opens with a lyrically heavy track that feels like listening to a journal entry of thoughts, "And it's manna to the hungry / It's popcorn to the pews / A lifeboat to the lost / And it's Jesus on a cruise / One day I'll maybe walk the waters in between / But this one's for the Captain, all who roam the sea, and me." Some of the best lyrics allow you to think and ponder. This is the brilliance of Hastings and instantly catches my attention.

The track leads right into one of my favorites on the album, "Abandoned," with Brandon Lake, an anthem that was released earlier this year that features the album title in its chorus, "But completely, deeply, sold-out, sincerely abandoned / I'm completely, freely, hands-to-the-ceiling enamored / My one-life endeavor / To match Your surrender / To mirror not my will, but Yours / Oh, I'm complet?ly, deeply, don't-care-who-sees-me abandoned / Oh, I surr?nder all.

The album continues to get better song after song -- from the short and beautiful "All that I Am" to another favorite in "What A Friend" with Aodhan King (another favorite and previously released track this year). "Set Me On Fire," "If It Wasn't for Jesus," and "I Can't Thank You Enough" are all standout tracks.

"Time to Move On" is one track I can't stop thinking about, with lyrics like "A ring around an oak tree / A circle 'round the sun / Time is like some rascal kid / Who knocks the door and runs / Nothing lasts forever and I couldn't tell you why / But every night the sun slips through the sky / Singing I think it's time to move on / I think it's time to move on." The rest of the verses just get better from here, making it such a good song to digest. Hastings shares real emotion through the tough yet precious last verse.

Sold out, sincerely works in every way as a good follow-up to Hastings' 2022 self-titled project. The raw authenticity and beautiful songwriting on this album solidifies Hastings as one of the more consistent artists who you can always expect real, vulnerable work from.

- Review date: 10/3/24, written by Michael Carder of Jesusfreakhideout.com