By Jacob Sahms

Dustin Kensrue’s latest musical outing is a departure from his work through his hardcore band, Thrice, but shows his depth and diversity for Equal Vision Records. Like the various expressions of his friends and sometimes tour-partners My Chemical Romance, Kensrue shows a completely new face, this time that of a country/alt-rock album, Please Come Home.

As socially conscious as Thrice’s other albums are, it is no surprise that the lead-off song, “I Knew You Before,” shines hope into the tired, worn-out life of a girl that Kensrue once knew. The following song, “Pistol,” also draws from Kensrue’s knowledge of a woman, but this time, it’s one who puts him in his place and brightens his perspective.

With “I Believe,” the eight-song album takes off. Kensrue’s understanding of God is morphing and growing, with allusions to a Creator God and that of Jesus Christ. His refrain rings on, “I really don’t know a thing/Still I choose to believe.” Recognizing that faith doesn’t mean knowing or understanding everything, Kensrue says each must make their own “leap from the lion’s mouth.”

The Biblical allusions continue with a fresh, modern take on the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In “Please Come Home,” the father longs after the son’s return—not yet accomplished but hoped for in the future. Kensrue’s understanding of God’s love and his ability to bring the grace of the gospel close make this one hard to dislike as well.  This love and understanding gets twisted in “Blood and Wine,” as a one-time believer mistakes his intentions for good, and Kensrue condemns the justification of doing wrong in the place of the right while channeling Johnny Cash. In “Consider the Ravens,” he returns the focus to God’s grace and providence, turning back the doubts that swarm him and the troublesome enemies around him.

Kensrue hits another mark with the complex poetry of “Weary Saints,” quoting Scripture in stride (“Thy word…is a lamp unto my feet”) while looking ahead to an end of suffering and death. The first rocker I’ve heard to successfully “go country,” Kensrue has an undeniable spirit of humility in sharing his own doubts and fears, while maintaining a religious level head. This is no preacher: this is a poet-bard who shares his experience and marks the places that he has passed.

“A lot of material is a little more down to earth,” says Kensrue, “which is one of the things that I tried to do with these songs. I get a little heady with the Thrice songs, and I like doing that- I think people like engaging in that- but I wanted these to be more folky, in the sense that this is music from a natural place.”

A longtime fan of C.S. Lewis, Kensrue has an eye for the truth of God, even in the darkest places. While a hardened atheist, Lewis came to see God shining through his anger, and in the process, found ways to communicate the gospel accordingly back into a world he was once part of. For his part, Kensrue says, “I try to be an artist who aspires to find hope even in the dark places: If I’m down, I don’t want to bring people down to that place with me. I’m looking for a way out.”

Whether rocking or laying down the twang, Dustin Kensrue is on a mission to work out his faith and share with others as well.

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