The Garden is the fifth studio album by Kari Jobe. The album was released on February 3, 2017 by Sparrow Records alongside KAJE, LLC. Jeremy Edwardson worked on the production of the album. Background Kari Jobe, according to an article on The Christian Post website, took to Instagram to explain inspiration behind the album and the significance of the album's title track, "The Garden", saying: The Garden song is truly one of the most intimate songs I've ever written. It's a song that captures the raw emotion of truth. Truth of pain and sorrow that feels like it could swallow you up and suffocate you. There are moments we experience in life that knock the wind out of us and may cause us to question exactly what God is up to. God used a garden in my back yard to help me remember that He is always at work to turn extremely difficult situations into beauty. Everything we do in this life, on this side of heaven, is Kingdom oriented. There will always be pruning, planting, watering and growth. Different seasons have different experiences- but God is always up to something beautiful. – Kari Jobe, via Instagram With regards to the song, "The Garden", Jobe also said it was to honor her sister, who had a stillborn daughter when she was seven-and-a-half months pregnant. Singles On November 4, 2016, "The Cause of Christ" was released as the lead single of the album. Another single, "Heal Our Land", was released on December 2, 2016. The third single from The Garden, "Let Your Glory Fall", was released on February 3, 2017. Reception Critical response The Garden was met with positive reception from various critics. Joshua Andre of 365 Days Of Inspiring Media rated the album four and a half stars, saying "If you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to Kari Jobe’s albums before and are not sure whether to give her music a go, then I would say The Garden is the best way to start,". The four and a half star rating awarded by CCM Magazine’s Matt Conner was reasoned out of a belief that "The Garden speaks from a wide emotional range with the sort of quiet intensity for which Jobe is known" and that it "is an honest album from a trusted artist destined to be a friend at our weakest moments. " At The Christian Beat, Chris