Sometimes comfort food is exactly what a hard day calls for. Maybe it's mac and cheese or chicken tenders, or perhaps chicken pot pie or pizza is your go-to dish of choice when the hours are long, and the stress of life leaves you wanting something that is familiar and safe for sustenance. Adventures in eating will have to wait for another day. Right now calls for something warm and inviting.

Christian music veteran band We The Kingdom is very much musical comfort food, and that is a positive attribute at the present troubled moment in our country's current news cycle. With a warm, familiar 60's and 70's (another troubled time in our nation's history) folk-rock vibe, the band produces the sort of mellow grooves and appealing songs that soothe the soul. And now the family band soldiers on without co-lead singer Franni Rae Cash (who was the jalapeno popper in this musical mix) and sounds even more mellow as a result. But the band's third album, Dear Jesus, does arrive at the right time and at the right tempo for the beginning of this contentious new year.

With a musical nod to the Beatles classic "Don't Let Me Down" (the song they played on the rooftop of the final concert for the British foursome), opening track "Don't Let The Darkness" rolls out of the gate with a loping rhythm and engaging melody with a sing-along vibe of encouragement: "When the world is cold as stone / Feels like you've got no place to go / Lift your head and call My name / I come running like a freight train / Sometimes people do you wrong / Make you feel like a sad song / Lift your head and call My name / 'Cause, brother, I've been through the same thing / Don't let the darkness get you down / Love will turn your life around / You think you're lost and then you're found / Don't let the darkness get you down." While channeling a bit of classic songwriter Bill Withers (of "Lean On Me" fame), and the beach vibes of 70's era California soft rock, "Don't Let The Darkness" is a great opener and a bit of a throwback to the early era of Christian rock and roll that got its start on the beaches of California during the Jesus Movement. Second song "Let It Be Jesus" continues this feel-good groove with an excellent bipartisan reminder of where the true loyalty of a follower of Christ lays.

Third number "Rescue Me" cranks up the volume and pace a bit. With a powerful addition of backup singers and some mean slide guitar, the song rocks out and celebrates the rescuing nature of the Father. The following title track brings back the country-rock mellowness with a wonderful prayer of renewal. The too short album ends with the worshipful numbers "Holiness" and "Easy," and shows off this side of their repertoire well.

Dear Jesus would have benefitted from a few more songs to round out the setlist here, and at just seven songs, the album ends too soon. (If the band really wanted to lean into their retro sound and vibe, a double album along the lines of The Eagles or Led Zeppelin would have been just right.) To stretch the "comfort food" metaphor way too thin, Dear Jesus is a good snack that could have been a great meal with some additional ingredients. But it still goes down smoothly and nourishes the soul after a long day.

- Review date: 1/29/26, written by Alex Caldwell of Jesusfreakhideout.com