There are some things we hold dear to our hearts.  They may appear like junk to others but they are priceless to us.  A rusted ladle that still has the taste of grandma's chicken soup of which we can still savor in our minds.  A Victrola RCA record player that has not cranked a record in decades yet we can still hear Yiddish music flooding our minds as our mental reel unravels stories of how our grandfather survived the Holocaust.  Or it could be the last letter our mother wrote to us in her dying bed.  Though the paper has turned yellowish with stains and though we have memorized every single syllable, tears still drip down our cheeks every time we read it.  These are the objects we cherish; try to confiscate them and you will incur the utmost infernal wrath even from among the most genteel of us.  But how many of us actually cherish and favor Jesus in the same way we treasure these objects?  For Danilo Montero, Jesus is indeed that letter we would never part company with.  Jesus Christ is to Montero "the pearl of great price" (Matt. 13:45). Thus, he has entitled his latest Integrity Music Spanish release "La Carta Perfecta" when translated means "the Perfect Letter." Rather, than just venerating Jesus for the sake of mawkish sentimentality, through this new record and song, he details for us reasons informed by Scripture why Jesus is worth savoring.

Recorded live at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas where TV Evangelist Joel Osteen serves as the senior pastor, "La Carta Perfecta" is Montero's first album in three albums.  Montero is the pastor of Iglesia Lakewood the church's thriving Hispanic congregation whose services are broadcast each week by Daystar and Enlace/TBN television network. Since Lakewood Church is also where Israel Houghton serves as the worship pastor, it is therefore not surprising that "La Carta Pefecta" was produced by New Breed's Coalo Zomorano.  Setting the lyrical tenor of the record is the title cut and single "La Carta Perfecta."  Here Jesus is likened to the perfect love letter where every word he says is God's first and last testament to us; where the poetry of his love has a way of captivating our hearts and where his words bring clarity to us when we are confused.   Few worship songs today have been quip with such a controlling metaphor as this one which is also judiciously and creatively expounded throughout the song.  Further developing on the theme of the poetry of Christ's love is "Dios de amor" which means "God Loves Me."   

Sonically, "La Carta Perfecta" is shielded from the proliferation of today's electronic dance or post-grunge rock sounds.  Rather, there's a reverb back to the worship sounds of the 90s where breezy guitar over a soft rock undercurrent pervade the songs' backings.  Thus, the emphasis is rightly placed on the song's melody with a stellar example being the Michael Gungor and Freddy Rodriguez composed "Correre" ("I Will Run"). "Correre" is a hook laden anthemic number that brims with a desperation for God that is palatable.  And less cluttered than Paul Baloche's original is Montero's rendition of "El Mismo Amor" ("The Same Love").  Never satisfied with Jesus Christ as just a literary figure in Scripture, "El Mismo Amor" reminds us that the same Jesus who healed the lame, make the weak strong and caused the blind to see still ministers to us.  While "Tu Gracia Es Suficiente" ("Your Grace is Sufficient"), a song crafted by label mate Jacobo Ramos, is a gorgeous guitar ode of thanksgiving that is heartfelt.

Savoring Christ as our priceless treasure is most deliciously served on Israel Houghton's Grammy Winning "Jesus En El Centro" ("Jesus at the Center").  A call to crown Jesus as the epitome of our lives and also in the church, Montero truly makes his rendition of "Jesus En El Centro" an unforgettable worship experience.  However, if there is any dissonance with this record it is that there is a dearth of ballads.  With a sturdy tenor like Montero, he would have been smashing when he croons a slow piano worship ballad.  Nevertheless, "La Carta Perfecta" is an important record.  With so many activities, people and objects vying for our attention these days, "La Carta Perfecta" is an important reminder that Jesus needs to be our center.  He needs to be the "perfect letter" where his words need to dot our identity and his eloquence needs to shape our rhetoric.