Music has a subtle power that doesn’t try too hard, and Stevie Lee Woods & The NRL Band lean into this truth on “Where I Find God.” This cover is a deeply felt, lived-in reading that transforms what might be a familiar message into something distinctly personal and of the moment.
A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Woods is virtually brimming with experience from his Branson home. But his most striking quality is his restraint. With the aid of his award-winning band and Devin Callahan’s harmonies, the song unfolds with an unforced emotional clarity. It welcomes the listener in with a gentle, honest, and unpretentious manner.
Chris Omartian and Stuart Epps directed the production, which is slick but warm enough to allow the song’s spiritual heft to breathe. The sound was tracked at Mansion Studios in Branson and in London and has both intimacy and expansiveness. The balancing act aligns with the song’s universalist message. You hear echoes of modern country soul in the manner of Larry Fleet, as well as the timeless notes of legends like Vince Gill and Patty Loveless. Woods never loses himself in such comparisons, he honors them while carving out his own emotional neighborhood.
“Where I Find God” resonates because it is relatable. It’s not trying to flex, it’s trying to relate. And it is doing so, it does something you don’t see much these days, it puts faith into actions without speaking a word.
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