How do you follow up a Grammy-nominated album and the most popular Christian music production of 2024?
It’s a question Forrest Frank hadn’t considered until he began his sold-out U.S. tour in the summer of 2024.
Yet, just 10 months after dropping Child of God, Frank delivered an unexpected companion to the initial release. Recorded during the first leg of his Child of God tour, Child of God II is a seamless continuation of Franks’s vibey Christian music sweeping across social media.
Sharing part of the creative process, Frank said, “Rather than make an album, market it for months, and then tour it, I wanted to finish an album during tour. I wanted to capture the current heartbeat.”
Frank’s current heartbeat stays consistent across the two albums. Blending his signature rhythm with heartfelt worship, Frank’s lyrics reinforce his message that God is the center of his musical career, and that’s not going to change.
Child of God II carries the emotional weight and energy of Frank’s elongated tour albeit with more subdued and introspective reflections than its predecessor. Very few artists can accomplish what Frank does from a musical and performative perspective.
The most impressive quality of Frank’s music remains his ability to weave personal prayers, fatherly reflections, and spoken-word testimonies into his wildly popular songs. Frank views his albums as more than music: Each song is part of his ministry.
Frank continues what is becoming a tradition of including recordings of conversations with his grandfather in his albums. On “Encore,” Frank pulls back the curtain on their generational relationship. Frank’s grandfather says, “Well let me, let me pray for you/Father, I’ve been praying that You would do it.To be just [an] unbelievable movement of Your Spirit.”
Even though Frank’s grandfather intends the prayer for his grandson’s upcoming tour, the sentiment serves as an overarching reminder of the power of worship music.
The next track, “Your Way Is Better” (complete with a surprisingly simple and catchy TikTok dance to support it) is an affirmation of this mission. Frank sings, “Oh, Lord, I need You now more than ever/Would You put my heart back together?/I searched the world ’til my head hurt/Just to find out Your way’s better.”
“Nothing Else” sees Frank team up with country-powerhouse and fellow Christian Thomas Rhett for a song centered on not needing anything but Christ in our lives. The duo sings, “I got my family, Jesus, and my health/And if I got all that, I really don’t need nothing else, nothing else.”
“Amen” features an experimental Frank reaching into the Gospel genre for some call and response. He considers the weight of God’s goodness despite his sin by singing, “If God’s been good, all the time and all the time, God’s been good/Imma praise His name every day like I should/Imma live by faith not by things, understood.”
“In the Room” is a powerful track focused on proclaiming the power of Jesus’ death and Resurrection while emphasizing the Lord’s continued presence in our lives. Frank sings, “If you’re hurting, I know someone who heals your wounds/And if you’re broken, I know someone who broke for you.” That someone is no secret to Frank, and he hopes that He becomes real to those that don’t know Him yet.
“Woke Up This Morning” shows how God provides alternatives to combat the stress and anxieties as Frank sings, “Don’t it feel good when you’ve been in His presence?/Walkin’ with Him, ain’t no second-guessin’.”
“No L’s” shows a winking Frank who turns slang that may be familiar to your preteen or teenager into an anthem for Jesus’ death and resurrection. Frank says Christians aren’t taking any losses because “The victory is already won/Three days in the ground/And the kingdom had come.”
Frank makes a handful of subtle and not-so-subtle references to his life before fully committing to Christ. In viral clips of his concerts, Frank often shares his testimony before the final songs of the show. Frank’s story resembles a bit of the prodigal son from Jesus’ parable.
“Testimony” is a song entirely committed to Frank’s personal journey to faith in the form of spoken-word recording. While Frank never explicitly mentions the sin(s) he indulged in during his wayward years, there are a few moments throughout the song (and the album) that could lead to confusion or deeper conversations for some listeners unfamiliar with stories of eventual redemption.
Frank references a few rappers and hip-hop artists with questionable content and lifestyle choices.
Whether Frank is on a mission to become this generation’s most popular Christian artist or not is beside the point. (For what it’s worth, commercial and critical success would say he already occupies the top spot).
What Child of God II makes clear is that Frank’s mission is for everyone to know that there’s a seat at the table.
With unapologetic and unashamed lyrics, Frank keeps Jesus at the center of his music while inviting his listeners to the party. Find any clip from one of his concerts, and you can feel the boundless joy emanating throughout the crowd and through Frank.
The track “Testimony,” where he shares his personal journey with Jesus, concludes with Frank walking listeners through the Gospel before asking if anyone would live to receive Christ in their lives. It’s an eight-minute proclamation of the Lord’s redemptive power in one man’s life that is perhaps the most counter-cultural thing to include in an album right now.
As musical success remains dependent on social media and branding, Frank aims for his “table” to look different from his secular counterparts. From where we sit and listen, his choice doesn’t seem to be out of a desire to garner attention or for self-service.
Instead, Frank’s purpose is to share faith-filled music that makes you smile, think, and delight in God’s presence. Even though you might be following Forrest Frank and his meteoric rise, he’s hoping you’ll end up following Jesus…and still enjoy some of his tunes along the way.
Jackson Greer is a High School English Teacher in the suburbs of Texas. He lives in Coppell, Texas with his wife, Clara. They love debating whether or not to get another cat and reading poetry together. Also, he is a former employee of Focus on the Family’s Parenting Department.
