Rachael Lampa, Rachael Lampa

Four years and three releases ago, 15-year-old Rachael Lampa first appeared on the radar screen of contemporary Christian music. Now a veteran at the ripe old age of 19, this petite songstress has released her fourth project. The self-titled Rachael Lampa showcases the artist’s vocal range and ability — a match for anyone in the genre.

Enlisting the help of producer Tommy Sims, whose kaleidoscope of work includes production and songwriting credits ranging from Eric Clapton to CeCe Winans, Lampa shows off her own songwriting talents, collaborating on each of the project’s 11 songs.

This CD plays to Lampa’s pop, rock and ballad strengths, with not-so-subtle doses of funk, rhythm and soul added by Sims. Among the highlights is “Rubberhouse,” a bass-heavy dance tune with additional vocals by rapper T-Bone. Other standout songs include “Honest,” acoustic pop with a funk-country guitar riff and a self-exhortation to ignore life’s temptations. And the gospel-tinged “The Good Life” (with the soulful backing vocals of Robert Randolph) is a call to the unbeliever to heed the words of Christ in John 10:10. Finally, the power-praise ballad “No Other One” captures Lampa’s best lyrical content: “Sing to me beauty / Let your voice lead the way / And in your words I’ll find the things I could not say.”

While we get a glimpse of Lampa’s huge vocal talent in the energetic pop-rock tune “When I Fall,” and the introspective “The Art,” the rest of the songs are built around more nuanced vocals and tight musical production. All in all, a strong musical statement of who she is and where she’s going can be found in Rachael Lampa.