Prime Cuts: "Here Again," "Counting My Blessings," "One More Day"
Overall Grade: 5/5
There is something refreshingly unforced about Grace & Xandy's Here Again. The sisters' StowTown Records debut does not chase trends or attempt to overwhelm listeners with oversized production. Instead, its 10 songs lean into what Grace Anne Jeremiah Baker and Xandy Jeremiah do best: close sibling harmonies, songs of faith that feel personal rather than performative, and arrangements that give their voices room to breathe.
Executive produced by David Michael Jeremiah and produced by Uriel Vega, Here Again also represents a significant step beyond the duo's 2024 debut, The Promise. Where that collection largely introduced Grace & Xandy through hymns and classic songs of faith, this album begins to reveal more of their own musical identity. Originals sit comfortably alongside contemporary Christian favorites, creating a record that feels both familiar and increasingly personal.
"Counting My Blessings" is a terrific way to open the album. Its country-flavored bounce immediately establishes a lighter, more exuberant side of the sisters, while their harmonies give the song an infectious warmth. Rather than simply singing about gratitude, Grace & Xandy make thankfulness sound joyful. It is the kind of opener that invites the listener into the record rather than demanding attention.
But the emotional center is unquestionably the title track. Written by Xandy during a difficult personal season, "Here Again" begins almost tentatively, like a prayer being formed while it is sung. Xandy's delicate lead vocal suits the vulnerability of the lyric beautifully. Then the song expands. As the arrangement rises and the sisters' voices come together, private struggle gives way to assurance. The song does not pretend that faith prevents believers from returning to painful places; its hope rests instead in discovering that God remains present when they do.
That tension between difficulty and gratitude gives the album substance. "Thorns," written by Lee Black, Kenna Turner West and Tony Wood, pushes into the uncomfortable territory suggested by its title, while Uriel Vega's saxophone adds an unexpected texture. Grace & Xandy resist the temptation to make every expression of faith sound triumphant. Here, struggle and grace are allowed to occupy the same song.
The sisters are equally convincing when interpreting material already associated with other artists. Taking on songs as recognizable as "I Can Only Imagine" and "Gratitude" carries obvious risks; listeners already bring memories and expectations to them. Grace & Xandy wisely avoid turning these performances into vocal competitions with the originals. Their familial blend becomes the distinguishing feature, allowing familiar lyrics to take on the intimacy of two sisters singing testimony together.
"Praise The Lord Forever" provides another lift, but one of the album's loveliest surprises arrives near the end with their reimagining of Sons of Sunday's "One More Day." In Grace & Xandy's hands, the song becomes both thanksgiving and testimony. Its gratitude for another day with Christ also provides an appropriate resolution to the questions raised by "Here Again." The album begins by counting blessings, travels through struggle, surrender and praise, and ultimately returns to gratitude.
That arc makes Here Again more satisfying than a simple collection of worship covers and inspirational songs. Grace & Xandy may carry the considerable ministry legacy of their grandfather, Dr. David Jeremiah, but the album works because they do not merely borrow that legacy. They are beginning to articulate faith in their own voices.
And those voices are the record's greatest asset. Grace & Xandy can certainly sing individually, but the magic happens when they sing together. Their harmonies possess the instinctive closeness that cannot easily be manufactured in a studio. Vega's production understands that strength and generally allows the songs to serve the singers rather than burying them beneath unnecessary embellishment.
With Here Again, Grace & Xandy deliver a remarkably assured StowTown debut-warm, worshipful and deeply sincere. More importantly, the album suggests that the sisters are moving from interpreters of beloved Christian songs toward artists with something distinctly their own to say. If "Here Again" points toward where their songwriting is headed, their most interesting music may still be ahead.
