While fans of rocker Lacey Sturm anxiously await word of a new album (still nothing official yet), she further whets appetites with her second tune of 2021, titled "Awaken Love." This track once again finds her tapping Korey Cooper of Skillet as a co-writer in what is proving to be a winning combo. With “Awaken Love,” Sturm continues to evolve her sound, while maintaining ties to her nu-metal/rock beginnings as lead singer of Flyleaf and solo album Life Screams in 2016.

The absolute highlight of the song is the violin that brings a near Celtic vibe. In fact, I would have liked to hear them brought more to the front of the mix in the chorus, and a little more bite from the guitars. Much of the rawer angst of her early Flyleaf days is absent here, though only two songs into this direction is not near enough to despair of too much pop sheen. This is more along the lines of the worshipful and vertical track “All Around Me,” musically.

Lyrically, there is some abstractness to the sentiment, but “Awaken Love” is pretty clearly a confession of love directed heavenward. However, there is just enough ambiguity to the message to hear it either way. Lines from the chorus like, “Would you take/Come and break/Multiply/Open my eyes/Till we're standing face to face/Awaken love/Exclusive wine” could be about a human relationship. Ultimately, though, these lines from verse two, “Beauty only you gave to me/A wedding dress you made/I'm yours to hide away/I'm yours/All yours to display” make it pretty safe to say she’s addressing God. On the other hand, though, like Skillet and others before them, Lacey is toeing a line of accessibility to all listeners so it really could be both.

Overall, “Awaken Love” is a good track, and although it’s less of the raw rock some may be looking for, it’s a solid offering for old and new fans alike. Additionally, it’s likely a decent preview of what’s on the horizon for this highly acclaimed rocker as she, like many, have an eye on new music in 2022.

- Review date: 12/11/21, written by Josh Balogh of Jesusfreakhideout.com