It’s been six years since Big Daddy Weave released an album. In that span of time, the beloved band has experienced unimaginable loss with the passing of their brother and bandmate, Jay Weaver, in 2022. After years of health challenges, his death — at the age of 42 — felt like a blow too big to survive. Yet, somehow, Big Daddy Weave found the strength to continue; and now fans get their first glimpse into the wrestle that ensued with “Let It Begin,” the follow-up to 2019’s “When the Light Comes.”
Birthed in the midst of suffering, the 15-track project unpacks layers of grief as the K-LOVE Fan Award-winning group grapples with pain we might never fully understand this side of eternity. The collection asks more questions than it answers with the band members fumbling their way through the dark across the majority of the original selections. Yet, amidst their obvious anguish, it’s as if they can’t escape the kindness of God. If anything, these songs of lament are profound testaments to His infinite goodness and mercy.
RELATED CONTENT: K-LOVE Remembers Jay Weaver of Big Daddy Weave
While frontman Mike Weaver is credited as a writer on 10 of the album’s tracks, his community carries him the rest of the way. At a time when the band was at a loss for how to articulate their feelings, their talented friends rallied around them, often sending them demos via text with a simple, “This song felt like it was for you.”
Familiar names like Matt Maher, Matthew West and Mike Donehey (Tenth Avenue North) stepped in to lend their lyrical expertise. Additionally, Zach Williams, Katy Nichole and Jason Gray not only contributed to the songwriting process, but they are also featured on their respective songs.
Williams’ offering speaks to an unconditional Love that welcomes the prodigal home on “Stranger No More,” while Big Daddy Weave’s No. 1 duet with Nichole reminds listeners the ultimate Author holds the pen on “God Is In This Story.” Later, on “Good Grief” with Gray, the band finds the silver lining in sadness as they flip the clever title on its head.
The LP’s namesake opens the set with stacked harmonies and pristine production and closes the record with a collaborative reprise, featuring tourmates Ben Fuller and Megan Woods. Elsewhere, selections such as the bright chart-topping single, “Heaven Changes Everything,” and the Caribbean-flavored “This Is Not The End” look to the the afterlife with anticipation. Each one offers the promise of hope and healing — themes intricately woven throughout the project. While these aren’t necessarily groundbreaking ideas, somehow they don’t feel tired or stale when Weaver sings about them. In fact, there’s so much genuine emotion in his delivery, one can’t help but wade into the heartache with him.
RELATED CONTENT: Exclusive Performance of 'Heaven Changes Everything' With Big Daddy Weave
The most personal of the bunch, “Jaybird,” which debuted during an exclusive performance at the K-LOVE Studios in advance of the album’s launch, pays tribute to the former bass player with vivid details that lovingly honor the musician and prayer warrior, who was known to have a heart of gold.
While “Jaybird” is arguably the project’s most moving selection, one of its best — “Lions and Eagles” — doesn’t actually center around the recurring ethos of loss. Instead, the pop gem references the shame many of us carry and calls us higher as we root out identity in Jesus. Weaver’s vocals are stretched to the max as he literally roars with ferocity, his passion evident, affirming he’s one of Christian music’s most underrated vocalists.
RELATED CONTENT: Mike Weaver of Big Daddy Weave Joins Carlos for an Exclusive Interview
If you know the backstory, “Let It Begin” is a sad record at times, but it isn’t without hope. The long-awaited studio effort gives listeners permission to grieve, but it also gives them permission to find healing, too. These songs will undoubtedly meet those who find themselves in the depths of despair with some much-needed light and truth. The band may be short on answers, but they’re certainly not short on remedies. Jesus is their only hope; and if this post-tragedy album proves anything, it’s that the best — and most relatable — art often emerges from adversity.
