Jessica Dalla Torre – Into Your Heart

Jessica Dalla Torre
Into Your Heart
Independent (release date: May 18, 2018)
www.jessicadallatorre.com

By Bob Marovich

Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, and with Portuguese roots, the angelic-voiced Jessica Dalla Torre brings her multicultural influences to bear in her worship music.

At the same time, her new album, Into Your Heart, was recorded in Nashville and has a distinctly American CCM flavor.

The overall vibe of the album’s ten songs is of a living room jam session that occasionally blasts through the roof and explodes like fireworks. This happens whenever Dalla Torre’s emotional singing reaches fever pitch (think Lady Gaga as worship leader). At that point, the zero gravity acoustic-and-strings accompaniment with soft keys and a steady beat floats down to the ground, hitting terra firma with a mighty thunder.

Dalla Torre sacrifices sonic innovation for simple but lovely melodies. The lyrics are poetic prayers of praise to God for his unceasing love for her and for all people, regardless of their sin or stain. It’s evocative of Hillsong and Lauren Daigle.

Album highlights include Dalla Torre’s exemplary cover of Daigle’s “How Can It Be;” the bright title track and single; and “I’ll Never Leave You,” co-written with Garner Macgregor and her father, Amadeu Lourenco. “I’ll Never Leave You” features her most passionate singing.

Other covers included on Into Your Heart are “Forever” (CCM artist Kari Jobe) and “Ever Be” (Bethel Music). “The Lord is Good” is an English translation of “O Senhor e’ bom,” a Brazilian song from Nivea Soares. In fact, to expand her reach, Dalla Torre has translated the Into Your Heart songs in Portuguese for a parallel release called Teu Coracao.

Regardless of the language, Into Your Heart is a melodic stream of uncomplicated praise music from an artist who deserves to be at the same level of visibility as her influences.

Four of Five Stars

Picks: “Into Your Heart,” “I’ll Never Leave You”