Tori Kelly – Soul’s Anthem (It Is Well)

I first heard about Tori Kelly in the dark ages, when I succumbed to the mind-numbing, perhaps idolatrous television show known as American Idol back in 2010.  She made it as a semi-finalist, recording her own independent EP Handmade Songs by Tori Kelly in 2012 and signing with Capitol Records in 2013 and releasing her second EP Foreward that same year.

As of this writing, she has released only two studio albums, namely, Unbreakable Smile (2015) and Hiding Place (2018).

Her list of awards is quite varied.  Below is the full list that I could find:

• Billboard Women in Music for Breakthrough Artist (2015)
• YouTube Music Award for 50 Artists to Watch (2015)
• Radio Disney Music Award for Breakout Artist of the Year (2016)
• BET award for Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational for her contribution to Lecrae’s song I’ll Find You (2018)
• GMA Dove Award for Short Form Video Of the Year for her contribution to Lecrae’s song I’ll Find You (2018)
• Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album (Hiding Place) and Best Gospel Performance/Song (Never Alone w/ Kirk Franklin) (2019)

This review will be on her hit song Soul’s Anthem (It Is Well) from her album Hiding Place.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Tori-kelly-souls-anthem-it-is-well-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

This is yet another derivative of Horatio Spafford’s famous hymn It Is Well, the subject of a future review.

Kelly describes herself as struggling to hang onto her faith, expressed in prostrating herself.  Asking the Lord to show her how to love and trust beyond words spoken, she understands that her struggles are internal and spiritual, warring against the devil’s schemes and often frozen in the midst of it all.

She asks God for protection, to cleanse her from wrongdoing, and to stay present.  Realizing that God is in control, she finds peace in Him, prayerfully declaring that she has attained internal peace, with God as the source.

The subject of “You” at the beginning is clarified in Chorus 3; However, the themes described makes more sense to conclude God rather than a lover or boyfriend.

Side Note: To those sensitive to massive repetition, refrain repeats often in Tag and Outro.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

I found all the lyrics to be Scripturally sound.

Since the Intro is vocal noise and not actual lyrics, I will not include it for this review.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-3: A prayerful request for God’s personal involvement to demonstrate love and trust, far above mere talk.  Though one can find this by reading about Jesus, this inquiry is more personal, relational.

Lines 4 and 5: That is, to live life prayerfully, an often difficult task in the midst of turmoil, consistent with Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28.

Line 6: This is true because faith is a work of God (Mark 9:24, John 6:29, Romans 10:17, Ephesians 1:18-20, Philippians 2:13, and Colossians 2:12).

[Chorus 1]

Line 1: That is, to see with spiritual eyes rather than physical.  Described as the eye of one’s heart in Ephesians 1:18.

Line 2: There are numerous passages of Scripture where God commands not to be afraid.  Though not an exhaustive list, this includes Genesis 15:1, Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, 1 Chronicles 28:20, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 34:4, Psalm 56:3-4, Psalm 94:19, Psalm 115:11, Psalm 118:6, Isaiah 35:4, Isaiah 41:10-13, Isaiah 43:1, Isaiah 54:4, John 14:25-27, Romans 8:15, Romans 8:38-39, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 13:5-6, 1 Peter 3:13-14, 1 Peter 5:6-7, and 1 John 4:18.  The experiential result of fear is immobilization.

Line 3: This is true because God is sovereign over creation (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 4:39, Deuteronomy 10:14, Joshua 2:11, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 29:10, Psalm 45:6, Psalm 50:7-15, Psalm 93:1-2, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 135:6, Isaiah 43:13, Isaiah 45:9-10, Isaiah 46:10, Lamentations 5:19, Daniel 4:35, Romans 9:19-21, Ephesians 1:11, Hebrews 1:8, James 4:15, Revelation 4:11, and Revelation 20:11).

Line 4: Despite the paralyzing fear and loss of personal control, Kelly finds internal peace in her scenario, declaring the oft-repeated hymnal refrain: “It is well with my soul” (John 14:27, John 16:29-33, Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:14-15, and Colossians 3:15).

[Verse 2]

Lines 1-5: The Psalms are chock full of laments in one’s own dire scenario, with the pursuit of an enemy.  The psalmists often request Godly protection, found in Psalm 3:3, Psalm 5:11, Psalm 18:30, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 32:7, Psalm 34:22, Psalm 41:2, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 59:1, Psalm 61:3, Psalm 91:1-16, Psalm 118:8, Psalm 121:7-8, and Psalm 138:7.  Also, see Ruth 2:12, 2 Samuel 22:3-4, Proverbs 18:10, Proverbs 30:5, Nahum 1:7, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, and 1 John 5:18.

While physical protection is often granted, it is spiritual protection that God guarantees.

Line 6: Reminiscent of David’s prayer in Psalm 51:10-12, repenting of his adultery with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba.

[Chorus 2]

Lines 1-3: This is the devil’s lies attempting to ensnare Kelly (John 8:44).  Experientially, his tactics are to instill doubt (Genesis 3:1-5) and tempt us to sin just like he did with Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12–13, and Luke 4:1-13).  Kelly presumedly is tempted to leave her faith.

Line 4: Repeats line 4 of Chorus 1, making the same point in different circumstances.

[Refrain]

Lines 1-6: Repeats the refrain from Horatio Spafford’s famous hymn It Is Well.  See commentary in Chorus 1, line 4.

[Tag]

See Refrain.

[Chorus 3]

Line 1: Paraphrases Ephesians 6:12, that our fight is spiritual and not physical.  It is the battlefield of the mind.

Line 2: That is, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

Line 3: A prayer consistent with the promise of God to never leave or forsake His people in Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 118:6, and Hebrews 13:5–6.

Line 4: Credits God as the source to which makes one’s soul well.  Also, see commentary in Chorus 1, line 4.

[Outro]

See refrain.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Anyone who is vaguely familiar with the song It Is Well should see the immediate connection to Christianity via the title alone.  Kelly expresses themes described in sections 1 and 2 using poetic, everyday language that unbelievers can appreciate and find connection to their everyday lives.  It speaks to the depths of their souls, with a hopeful stirring that leads to seeking this internal peace Kelly has found in God.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies God as the way broken hearts are made better.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Tori Kelly’s Soul’s Anthem (It Is Well) is a worthy expression with a loose connection to the beloved classic hymn It Is Well.  Its well-themed and highly Biblical message speak both to believers and non-believers on the topic of spiritual warfare.  Both camps will find this song easy to comprehend, with God as the source of peace through life’s troubles.  This glorifies God.

Final Score: 10/10

Artist Info

Track: Soul’s Anthem (It Is Well) (listen to the song)

Artist: Tori Kelly

Album: Hiding Place

Genre: A cappella, Soul

Release Year: 2018

Duration: 5:15

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

03/26/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement.  I moved my commentary as a side note and updated section 4 and Conclusion.  This raised the overall score, from 9.5/10 to 10/10.