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Review: Worship Rises

Russ Hutto — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:00:10 +0000

Once again we’ve put together a great panel review from The Worship Community members forum members.

Background from (Chris Vacher) chrisfromcanada.com:Over the past year and a bit I’ve been spearheading this thing called WorshipRises (facebook|twitter). I’ve mentioned it a bunch of times on the blog and you may be familiar with it. Basically we’ve been gathering Canadian worship pastors/leaders together to develop worship resources for & from the Canadian church.

It’s been amazing to see the response to this thing so far – we’ve had 3 writing days attended by a total of about 50 worship leaders from every kind of church/worship expression you could imagine. Young, old, men, women, white, black, hispanic, conservative, charismatic – it’s been incredible. At our last writing day we were very fortunate to have Paul Baloche and Jared Anderson join the 32 worship pastors/leaders who were there in attendance.

Here are the reviews, thanks to all who contributed!

Eddy Mann

After a peaceful walk and a great breakfast this morning I settled in to listen to a new four song Ep entitled Worship Rises from a group of Canadian worship leaders and pastors. It’s their hope that this collection of songs will help the Canadian church establish their own worship voice.

I was taken by the opening song, Everlasting Light with its memorable phrase ” Oh how bright you shine” and the warm acoustic guitar on the verses. This was countered by a wonderful hand clapping energy in the chorus.

The pulsing Holy Are You God was the only offering with a female voice, but it speaks just as strongly as the others. This song also featured some nice male counter melodies on the closing chorus. A spiritually lifting and confessional song, that like the other three songs offered here, is sung [vertically] directly to God.

My favorite, in the tradition of guitar driven anthems, was the last song Worship Rises. I loved the power and fullness of the bridge and the repeated offering to God “All glory, power and praise may it rise up…” This will definitely make its way onto one of my music plans in the near future.

Though there’s nothing new here, there are four good, easily accessible, songs for corporate worship. Each song is scripturally sound and would compare favorably with any of today’s worship favorites.

Eddy is the Worship Leader at Gloria Dei Church in Huntingdon Valley, PA. As a songwriter he has composed for film and recorded various CD’s. He’s taught music and religion in the Lutheran educational system for over twenty years.

www.eddymann.com | www.eddymann.blogspot.com | twitter.com/eddy_mann

Mark Snyder

Worship Rises offers up 4 songs penned and recorded by various worship leaders from our neighbors up North. This project is a homegrown effort that began with a ‘songwriting day’ and grew from there, and represents the output of a long and fruitful collaboration process.

The highlight of this offering is the title track Worship Rises, which encourages us to offer our lives as an offering of worship. It is a driving rock anthem that definitely stands up to the latest offerings from the ‘bigs’. Melodically, it is diverse enough to translate into other styles such as a more gospel or country presentation. I could definitely see this song becoming a staple in contemporary worship settings.

Maker of My Heart offers us a nice built-in cry declaring “I’m alive in You…” and offers a very personal worship experience centering around how Jesus, who made our hearts now draws alongside us. It offers a more light rock vibe.

Holy are You God and Everlasting Light are the two tracks that round out this EP. Each offers us accessible choruses, plaintive melodies, strong lyrics, and smooth performances.

Overall, the production quality is top notch, as well as the vocal and instrumental performances. There are arrangements with counter melodies and descants which will provide options for variety in presentation.

This EP does not stray far from the tried and true path of most modern worship music. It definitely goes for accessibility, built-in cries, and personal experiences, and does not delve too deeply theologically. It delivers a package with great production quality, solid lyrics, and a great accessibility that belies its humble origins.

Mark Snyder is a small-group lay worship/songleader at PalmCroft Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, and also served as a children’s worship leader for over 10 years at Calvary Chapel churches. As a songwriter, he has composed and offered many songs at the local church level. He works as a software engineer.

www.facebook.com/MarkISnyder

Melanie Siewart

This group of Canadian worship leaders in the Worship Rises EP GOT IT! They inspire me because they are worship leaders who got together, wrote songs, and recorded them. Personally, I share their vision of connecting local worship leaders to make an impact in their community. So, I’m excited and honored to have the opportunity to write a review for them.

The first song, Everlasting Light, reminds me of the Newsboys. Personally, I like the Newsboys because they have some of the best melodic choruses in Christian music, and their audience easily connects with their melodies. The same is true with Everlasting Light. The chorus connects well, both lyrically and melodically. I love the a-capella bridge with the clapping leading back into the chorus. I couldn’t help but picture a congregation participating with the worship in the song.

In “Maker of My Heart,” I love the chorus, “I am alive in you; I will survive in you” and the bridge “I’m not alone, I’m not abandoned; I’m not forgotten, I am yours.” For some reason, the bridge sticks out to me. How many times do believers find themselves in a situation where they feel like they’re alone, abandoned or forgotten? It’s always a refreshing reminder to know we still belong to our King despite our circumstances.

Holy Are You God is beautiful. The part I like the most is the counter melodies. While the female vocal sings “Holy are you God,” the male vocal sings, “I will lift up my hands.” Since I’m a sucker for effective counter melodies, I fell in love with it immediately.

Worship Rises is my favorite song in this set. It seems to summarize the other songs. The phrases “May our lives be to you, Lord, an offering” and “may our songs be prayers of praise before our King” share my heart in worship. As a songwriter, I constantly find myself seeking God’s face in crafting lyrics, and asking God if what I do blesses him. Thus, my heart connected with that prayer immediately.

All four songs in this collection reveal the group’s heart for worship. As a matter of fact, I found myself worshiping at first listen. I even had to let it soak in a while before I could begin writing this review. Yeah, I find it that good!! Every song is easily adaptable to most worship services, and I can see any of these songs used in most setlists. Kuddos to the Canadian worship leaders who put this together. I am blessed beyond blessed to be a part of a panel to review their musical offerings. May the Lord globally use them as a testimony to the heart of many believers in His church. Way to go, Worship Rises!!

Melanie Siewert is a Christ follower, wife to a wonderful man of God, and mother of two incredible boys. She has several years experience mentoring high school worship bands, and desires to continually write music for the Lord’s church. Her passion for music accompanies her passion for making Christ known.

Kim Castro

I consider myself blessed to be able to listen to and review the album, “Worship Rises”. I am always encouraged when men and women and God are willing to put time and effort into a project that will bless others. What better way than to lead people into worship with music?

“Everlasting Light” –This is a very catchy song with a great sound. The rhythm and timing might be a little difficult for congregation singing, however. I love the melody and bridge. Upbeat yet not bubble gum pop.

“Holy Are You God”-Good for taking people to the throne…it reminds me of the angels and elders in Revelation. Catchy, repetitive phrases make it easy to sing. I appreciate that there are several vocalists in this song, each carrying a melody or harmony that blends into a pleasing whole. This is not done often!

“Maker of My Heart”- This song brings in the congregation early on with the repeating phrases. It’s an uplifting, hopeful song. The chorus is easy to sing, catchy. The lyrics are deep and heartfelt, and the theme is very accessible.

“Worship Rises”-I love how the song starts out a little empty instrumentally, then builds. It’s very dramatic. I also appreciate how this last song ties the entire set together. This is a powerful worship song with a beautiful ending.

Overall, this album took me on a journey of worship, praise, and contemplation with overtones of joy and hope. I can imagine these songs sung and loved in any church that appreciates modern worship music. The production was excellent, as was the musicianship. Every aspect of the album was strong, from the songwriting to the vocalists and instrumentalists. I will definitely be worshipping with this album in the future.

Kim Castro is a lover of Christ and family. She is a worship leader and songwriter hailing from central California. Her heart is to obey the Great Commission and to serve others as God leads.

Kim’s Music on Facebook

Worship Rises on iTunes

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REVIEW: ALM UK – Name Above All Names

Shannon Lewis — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:19:33 +0000

Thanks to Shannon Lewis and Gary Durbin for providing their insights and perspectives on ALM’s newest release, Above All Names.

SHANNON LEWIS

As much as I’m not a fan-boy of the “trendy” sound, there are times when I’ve got to admit: sometimes following the trends just works. Case in point; ALM UK. Within seconds of the first track starting there is an immediate sense of familiarity, which for the majority of music listeners means that – right out of the box – it is largely appealing.

Right off the block, “Great and Glorious” showcases sharp, crisp studio production (no live worship recording here folks), and a memorable, anthemic chorus to boot. Immediately following is probably the catchiest of the album’s rockers, “God is for Us”, which melodically moves like much of Duran Duran’s best work, while still sounding like it was recorded by Hillsong United. On top of that, the lyrics are encouraging, and inspiring – a great anthem for the church. From there, NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES begins to lose steam, though there are still a few useful corporate songs to come: the title track would be almost immediately singable for any congregation, and though not quite as simple and melodic, “My God Reigns” also stands out as a beautiful proclamation of God’s authority and power. Like much of the newer worship released today, the ballads all feature atmospheric keys and guitar beds, and move towards a slow, triumphant build.

In summary, if Hillsong, Generation Unleashed, & Planetshakers aren’t pumping out new worship records quickly enough for you, you’ve got another favorite band to add to the mix. Though they won’t be changing the face of corporate worship anytime soon, they have a release a well produced collection of songs, a number of which could easily be added to a church’s repertoire.

Over all, I give it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. For a taste of the CD, download “Great and Glorious”, “God is for Us”, “Name above all Names”, and “My God Reigns”.

GARY DURBIN

ALM;uk or Abundant Life Ministries is a multi-cultural church based in Bradford, England.
The debut CD from ALM:uk, Name Above All Names definitely resonates with me as a worship leader in the local church. Writing songs for the church is definitely a completely different mind set than writing songs for the radio. This album definitely is excellent in musicality and in the heart of worship. Matt Hooper, one of the worship leader’s at ALM, says, “Our heart and our mission behind our album is to provide great congregational songs that help the local church and their worship teams connect with God in a really strong, faith-filled and practical way.”

On this 10 track release there were some great, fresh songs for the local church. The opening track, “Great and Glorious” was a great way to kick off the album. It had a lot of energy. The song that stuck in my head immediately was “God is For Us”. I found myself singing the hook of the chorus throughout the day. I still hear it. Great scripture for congregations to sing. My favorite song was “Be Glorified”. It was one of those songs that grabbed me emotionally. Incredibly well-written, Christ-centered ballad of worship. My only criticism is of the title track, “Name Above All Names”. It’s a great song, but every time I heard the chorus, all I could think of was “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins from the Tarzan movie. Great melody, but unintentionally borrowed. As a songwriter, I’m always trying to guard against that. It can be a difficult task to come up with fresh, yet simple melodies. I also really liked the song, “My God Reigns”. That is another one that will be filling worship services, I’m sure.

All in all, this a great worship project from a band that obviously has a heart for God and the Church. Great job ALM & Integrity!!

iTunes: Name Above All Names by ALM:uk

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Review: Songs From The Hope Farm by Saint Lewis

Russ Hutto — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:30:28 +0000

We’re very excited to feature a brand new release from one of the Worship Community’s longstanding and faithful contributors, Saint Lewis (Shannon Lewis). We’ve put together a great panel of reviewers for Saint Lewis’ Songs From The Hope Farm. A special thanks to them for taking the time to listen and review this album for The Worship Community!

Each contributor brings a unique perspective to this review!

The reviewers are asked to comment on scriptural basis, congregational singing, band accessibility, and their own personal insights.

We hope you enjoy this review and find it helpful when selecting songs for your local worship experiences and hope you’ll support this artist by purchasing they’re album and adding it to your personal collection.

Please leave your own comments and insights regarding Songs For The Hope Farm in the comment section or respond in the forums! You can get a copy of this album from CDBABY.

Melanie Siewert

Songs For The Hope Farm by Saint Lewis grew on me the more I listened to it. To be quite honest, I did not connect with it at first. The more I listened and reviewed the lyrics, the more of a glimpse I got into the heart of the artists.

The opening song, “All in All,” is a great song. It has several elements I find appealing. Lyrically, I’m reminded of the “heart of worship” story, which made a long-lasting impact on my life. For “All in All” to remind me of that personal impact says much. Musically, I actually thought the 70s vibe in the pre-chorus was kind of neat. It was tastefully done. The bridge even broke out into two melodies. Not many songs can get away with that, and “All in All” did it well. I recommend this song for anyone’s worship set.

“Rejoice in Me” and “Quiet Your Heart” are lyrically written as though God is speaking to us. In a worship service, sometimes I simply want to be silent and listen to the lyrics and allow the Spirit to speak to me. These two songs lend themselves to such a time as this. Where “Rejoice in Me” is more edgy, “Quiet Your Heart” is more tender.

“Wandering Heart” has an edgy tone to it. It has the same kind of tone expected from someone who is prone to wander needing divine intervention (Psalm 119:36). I found myself praying, “turn my wandering heart to yours.” Very catchy!

“You Come Running” is a good testimony of a believer. No matter how far away we run, Christ is still there with us. This song also would work well in other congregational settings.

Overall, every song is true to scripture and true to the nature of God. Each song has their unique sound (not one song sounds like another), which says a lot since many albums have songs that sound alike. Songs For The Hope Farm has songs for personal reflection with a few songs that could be used for congregational singing mixed in.

As aforementioned, these songs provide a glimpse into the heart of those who made this collection possible. Enjoy!

Melanie Siewert is a Christ follower, wife to a wonderful man of God, and mother of two incredible boys. She has several years experience mentoring high school worship bands. Her passion for music accompanies her passion for making Christ known.

http://twitter.com/MelaSie
http://worshipvanguard.blogspot.com/

Samuel Sutter

My first listen through the Songs For The Hope Farm worship album was a little like my first experience with Fondu. First I thought it was a little weird, then I started to love it, then I loved it so much I wanted to figure out how to do it at home. Initially I really thought that the songs were vocally fast and would be a bit difficult for a congregation to sing (and I might still be right about that) but I think the brash determination of the lyrics to encourage God’s people to think and act in worshipful ways makes up for the challenge of the melodies. I’d love to be a part of a service that was corporately committing to the kinds of things that All in All (You’re all I need) ask for. I’d love to hear my church singing the chorus – praising God
for creation and committing to trust Him as their substance.

Overall the songs err on the side of being melodically complex, but the words are powerful and Biblical – I can see songs like Wandering Heart working with a congregation – melodically it’s very catchy and the words are a powerful confession of the weakness of humanity. At worse, the songs will help bring the individual listener to private worship in a way that brings God’s presence and the Spirit’s conviction to the heart’s forefront.

Samuel Sutter is an assistant pastor on Long Island, where he plays keys or lead guitar in the worship band and occasionally ventures into songwriting.
www.SutterSaga.com
www.facebook.com/samsutter
www.twitter.com/suttersaga

Buddy Eades

The first time I heard three cuts from Songs For The Hope Farm, I knew they were going on my iPhone. As a worship leader and pastor, the first thing I consider when listening to music is how well the music and the content fit together. There are songs on this album that may be beyond the ability of some bands to play, however this album has some great songs for worship and also those that are just great songs for your heart! I recommend listening to this album with your headphones, which made this album even better.

All In All (You’re All I Need) Great first track, chorus grows on me. Good solid song of praise.

Rejoice In Me- powerful song about promise in the middle of life. Worth considering for use in worship understanding that the range is high.

Wandering Heart- this song speaks to me. Shannon delivers the passion that the lyrics deserve. I could see this being sung with congregation doing chorus and verses sung by worship leader. Musically challenging and needs a worship leader who is able to carry the passion even without all the energy if you don’t use a full band.

Quiet My Heart – The arrangement of this song is a good mix of electric, drum, keys and bass. Might not translate well to acoustic. Simple song with potential for beginning worship.

Fly – good use of scripture in the middle pulling to a great chorus. This one would also work well with a worship team.

You Come Running This song does a good job of communicating scripture in testimony form. This one is also easily translated to a church worship band. I could see this one working with a basic set of bass, guitar, keyboard and vocals.

Call Me To Live Call me to live is one of those songs that I wanted to listen to over and over. Good mix of acoustic and electric guitar. Chorus on this one really sings. You need a good vocalist to give depth if choosing to use a full band.

Never Cease to Sing Piano adds a nice touch to this song.

Coming Kingdom This song features some great acoustic guitar and harmonies which is a great contrast to the other powerful songs on this album.

While Shannon brings a powerful voice and musical style which may make some shy away from attempting some of these songs in worship, this album is worthy of playing and sharing. The flow of the album made me want more. The words and music fit, the scripture is all in these songs and they communicate a passion for God and at the same time an honesty that is refreshing.

Buddy is an Assistant Pastor of Worship and Community Life at Christ Presbyterian Church in Newnan. He has just joined Worldwide Discipleship Association and is beginning a ministry to Artists and Worship Artists in Atlanta, GA.

www.budeades.com/EadesMinistry
www.twitter.com/budeades
www.facebook.com/EadesMinistry
www.facebook.com/budeades

Mathew Garret Reames

When I got my copy of Songs From the Hope Farm I was eager to listen to it. An Album from Saint Lewis, one of our own contributors here on TWC is always a good thing.

This album is a mix of congregational worship and more personal worship. I enjoyed listening to this, the diverse nature of the songs kept me interested. There was only one song on this album that that seemed out of place. “Fly” was a good song, but it was a little too different and seemed to go against the flow the album had established.

There are a couple of songs that would be great for a Sunday morning Worship. The First track, “All in All (Your All I Need)” is tailor made for a small Sunday morning team. “You Come Running” is an amazing song. I could see this being a very popular worship song if it was released on a major record label. I would love to sing this with my team. “Call Me to Live” is also great. It has that simple worship feel, whilst still being a good driven song with passionate lyrics. “Never Cease to Sing” is a good congregational song as well. It’s a simple song that holds with it passion for worship and Jesus.

“Wandering Heart”, “Quiet My Heart” and “Coming Kingdom” are all great songs that I could worship to often. But they might not really flow in a congregational setting. “Coming Kingdom” could do well, but for a full team it would need a different arrangement to fill it out a little. It seemed to have an abrupt ending as a song, and is the last song, so it was an abrupt end to the album.

Congregational Songs: “All in All (Your All I need)”, “You Come Running”, “Called Me To Live”, and “Never Cease To Sing”

Personal Worship: “Quiet My Heart”, “Wandering Heart”, and “Coming Kingdom”

Final Thoughts: This is an album I am happy to have, its been playing on my iPod for a few days now and I am still listening happily to it regularly. The recording quality is quite good as opposed to a lot of independent releases. That made this album even better. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for solid worship that isn’t just another “Pop Worship Radio” hit. Well worth multiple listens.

Mathew Garrett Reames is a young worship leader. At only 23 years of age his experiences and viewpoints are different than a lot of worship leaders. His passion for Jesus is the driving force behind his worship. Living in Kansas City, MO, a city rich with worship, he is blessed to be around many different sources of inspiration.

http://www.twitter.com/matreames
http://www.facebook.com/matreames

Buy album from CD BABY.

For more information on Saint Lewis and how to purchase a physical copy of this album please visit the official Saint Lewis website and stay up to date on the Saint Lewis facebook page.

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Review: Unshakable by Deluge

Guest Contributor — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:53:24 +0000

As a worship leader, I am not what you would call normal. I am not a fan of much if any mainstream ‘radio’ worship. I have nothing against those types of worship albums, but they don’t stimulate me through the full hour. Usually there is one song that stands out.

This is partially because I tend to be a more independent person, but also because I come from what most would call a ‘charismatic’ church; though I never cared for that term as it doesn’t accurately describe me or my church.

I say that to give some background to this review. It is hard for a worship album to really knock my socks off, but it seems like 2010 is becoming the year for it to happen. The recent release of Gungor’s ‘Beautiful things’ was phenomenal, and I had nothing negative to say on it. I have already incorporated much of it into my weekly worship services.

‘Unshakable’ by the Band Deluge is another album that impressed me greatly, though there are some things I felt could be changed. The Self-Titled debut from Deluge was a decent offering, but seemed lacking to me. Honestly I did not go into this expecting much change.

‘Unshakable’ has a noticeable improvement in production quality. It had a wonderful flow, I know this comes from it being a studio album, but still it was a treat. The first track is simple an instrumental intro into the album and flows right into the Title track. Unshakable is a solid rock/worship song, and I can see it being used by many youth groups. The next track called ‘Deeper’ is a true delight. It has the modern flow of something that you would expect from a Hillsong or Delirious album. Its lyrical content is superb. Honestly, it’s exactly what my heart cries on a daily basis. This is a song I look forward to incorporating into my rotation.

The Fourth track on the album is my favorite from a musical standpoint, but I would imagine being quite controversial. The track is called ‘Power’ and comes from Acts 1:8. It has a very industrial feel to it, its raw emotion, and hits hard. But this song is not typical worship, its about a desire to function in the gifts of the Spirit like the church leaders in Acts did. This song fits for their church, as it is a charismatic center that advocates gifts, signs, wonders, and supernatural miracles. However, I do not think this song is suited to a more traditional church. The focus is to power oriented and less on relationship.

The fifth track is nice, but seems very generic. I mean that I could see it being on a Hillsong Album, or Chris Tomlin, or a number of other albums. It doesn’t have the distinction that makes me go ‘wow, that’s sweet.’ It is a very congregational friendly song, easy to play, and great flow. It just doesn’t blow me away. Also, coming right off of ‘power’ which is a hard driven song, this seems almost dead quiet.

The following track ‘Refuge’ is my favorite on the album over all. Musically its strong and delivers even though it’s a slower pace. The lyrics really resonate in me. I have been caught several times singing the chorus, at work, at home, and just out on the street. To me, this is one of the marks of a great song. I am fully intent on learning the song and using it in worship as soon as I can. This song alone would be worth the whole album.

Track seven, ‘Sing of the blood’ is also brilliant. It could just be my imagination, but it seems like songs about the blood always have to work harder to become popular. Almost as if blood is taboo and we don’t want to think of it or sing it. I love songs of the Blood of Jesus and think this is an excellent addition to the list. It has great flow, and passion, and would fit in almost any church service. I could especially see this for a non-traditional communion setting.

Here is where the album picks up the pace again. ‘Overjoyed’ is a good medium to fast paced track that would be wonderful as an opener for a worship set. It reminds me of the feel of ‘The Lord Reigns’ from CFNI. Driven, but relaxed at the same time.

‘I Wanna Dance’ is just about the only song I didn’t care for on the album. The song itself is not bad, but the bridge ruins the song for me. The bridge has a very defensive tone to it, defending the idea of dancing in church. If you cut the bridge, this would be a great song for a youth setting. I have trouble with the argumentative nature of the bridge, and it hurts the whole song in my opinion.

‘Come alive’ is a song that has a wonderful slow driven electronic beat in the back with some soft guitar. This song is more a horizontal song of encouragement to the believer. It’s a solid offering, but I do not see it being used often as a congregational worship song.

‘Let’s worship’ is a nice change of Pace. It’s driven from the piano rather than the electric guitar. Its another horizontal song from believer to believer, but this one is more of a call to worship style song. I like it a lot, and could see it as song used by many churches. Though it is not stated anywhere on my copy of the album, I did note the guest vocalist’s distinctive tone. Kari Jobe adds something almost mystical to the song with her vocal mix. Kari is always a Joy and treat, and adds to any song.

‘Come in my Courts’ is almost the Lord’s response to the previous song. It’s a song of the Lord singing over us, beckoning us to come to him. I love it, there is a great moment in worship where we have cried out to him with everything inside of us, and suddenly he responds and sings over us. That feeling is beyond belief. That little touch of his presence as he responds to the call of our hearts is worth everything, and this song is a great example of that.

The final track on the album is another piano driven work called, ‘I want to be used by you’ this song is a passionate cry between man, and his God. It’s a great way to close of the album.

The Tracks ‘Deeper’ and ‘Refuge’ are the two that I think stand out the most in terms of usability in the church setting. Most of the album would be great, and fit, it all depends on how your worship setting is. In the end, if you spend the money for this album, you will not be disappointed. While it is not an album that will change the face of worship, it is a solid hour of worship that you can pop in to your car or stereo and just spend time with God

Mathew Reames

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[Review] Matt Redman – We Shall not be Shaken

Shannon Lewis — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:52 +0000

A confession: Matt Redman’s CD WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD single-handedly opened my heart to contemporary worship after nearly an 8 year stint singing – by my own choice – almost soley from hymnals. His songwriting touches nearly anything I’ve ever penned, and I find his approach to leading others in worship inspirational beyond words.

That said, WE SHALL NOT BE SHAKEN doesn’t have the lasting power of his last 4 or 5 CDs, nor does it house a single tune that is a sure-fire “We absolutely have to sing this next Sunday” track, which Redman’s past catalogue is brimming with.

That’s not to say that Matt doesn’t show any progress here, however. “Through it All”, “The Glory of our King”, & “My Hope” are stylistically so unique and different from what Matt has recorded in the past that were they released together on a 3 song e.p., I would think they were from a different “Matt Redman” entirely – you may not even recognize his voice, as even his vocal approach is new. They are fresh, unique, and pleasant to listen to, though not necessarily very useful corporately.

In fact, unlike most of Redman’s CDs, only two tracks stand out as the sort I might introduce to a congregation. “How Great is Your Faithfulness” (chord chart) has a modern hymn-like quality, with a strong anthemic chorus. “For Your Glory” (chord chart) is a high-energy rocker, reminiscent of Redman’s classic “Dancing Generation” that would work well in a college/youth setting.

One positive is that this may be the best sounding CD Redman has ever released – the production values are top-notch. The guitar tones are brilliant, and the playing creative. Don’t judge it by it’s first single, “This is how we Know” – it’s a fine song, but no-where close to corporate, unique, creative, or even memorable. In fact, it’s one of the least interesting songs on the CD – who know why it was chosen for a single.

Though it lacks anything quite as triumphantly corporate at “You never let Go”, the lyrics are Biblical, production is top-notch, and the creative stretching makes the majority of this CD still a worthy listen. If you’re an iTunes person and a little nervous taking the jump, the necessary tracks are: “How Great is Your Faithfulness“, “For Your Glory“, “Through it All“, and “The Glory of our King“. If you connect with those, download the rest.

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Album Review: Ragamuffin Soul by Carlos Whittaker

Gary Durbin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:01:09 +0000

Ragamuffin Soul by Carlos Whittaker

In 2006, I went to the Saddleback Worship Conference. I was looking to get podcasting going for our church, so I went to a workshop called “Podcasting/Blogging” by Carlos Whittaker. I was disappointed, because all this guy talked about was blogging. What I didn’t know was that his blog Ragamuffinsoul.com was becoming a phenomenon, and now has a worldwide following of more than 20,000 people and was ranked “Best Ministry/Theology Blog” by COLLIDE magazine readers. It also inspired me to start my own blog, and I’ve been blogging ever since. I’m now grateful that I went to that class, because now I’m in the blogging world, connected to all kinds of people. Carlos, or @loswhit, for us on twitter, really influenced me in that.

Now, Ragamuffin Soul has a soundtrack. In the spirit of transparency, I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much. Not because I don’t think Carlos is a talent, but because he hadn’t really put out any songs of notoriety, so there wasn’t really that much anticipation from me on that end. After listening to the album, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.

Ragmuffin Soul has some great songs for the church, which really excites me. There’s a lot of worship albums that get released, but not a lot of realistic songs for the church to sing, and I think this is a credit to Carlos and the Integrity family.

“Rain it Down” is a great song to kick off the album. It has a very infectious melody line to it. “God of Second Chances” and “We Will Worship You” should connect in congregational worship very well. I really like the last track, “We Will Dance”. It’s a great up-tempo contribution to the church. I can see a lot of worship services pumping with that one.

My main critique of the album is probably minor. I really think the songs “Because of You” & “In Your Presence” could have been cut. Not because they’re bad songs, but because they really don’t measure up to the rest of the album. In other words, I feel this should have been a 10 track album, instead of a 12 track album. It would have really made this a more power packed CD.

All in all, though, this is a great contribution to the local church. Worship bands will have no problem bringing these tunes to their congregations. As a worship leader, I really appreciate that. Great job, Carlos & Integrity!!

Buy this album on iTunes.

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[Review] Can’t Be Silent: Youth For The Nations

Russ Hutto — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:05:57 +0000

Can’t Be Silent by Youth for the Nations is a live worship set of 12 songs geared for younger congregations. All 12 songs have catchy melodies and beautiful harmonies, which allow simple assimilation into worship sets of any service, especially a youth environment. Also, the songs transition well to other songs in the set. So if a worship leader decided to use more than one song from this set in a worship service, transitions between songs should be fairly easy. A few songs in the set favor the idea of mixing in hymns, a good quality to have for those services that utilize both hymns and modern worship songs.

Lyrically, the songs break into two main categories: corporate declaration and personal declaration. Corporate declaration songs speak to God as a group using “we” and “our.” There are five in this set; one opens up the set, two mix in the middle, and two close out the set. The rest of the set contains personal declaration songs, which reflect the heart of the believer to God; some would make great response time songs for many church services. Most songs are more than 5 minutes long, so they may need an arrangement to accommodate the uniqueness of other worship services. Since these songs were recorded live, the length of these songs does not surprise me. Worship musicians do not want to quench the spirit for the sake of a recording. So, praise God the recordings are long. That means the Spirit was powerful that day.

The set feels like a big worship service. It starts off with a high-energy corporate declaration song, Be the Remedy. It’s the kind of song that encourages fellow believers to join together for the cause of Christ. The next two songs are high-energy personal declaration songs. Can’t Be Silent and Freely Yours express our freedom in Christ. The set continues with 7 slow/moderate worship songs, each with powerful moments that invite the listener to worship. Close your eyes, and you can easily imagine yourself worshiping with hundreds of other believers, especially with Hand of God, Absolute Surrender and I Love You Lord. Glorify Our King and Wonderful Love conclude the set with high-energy corporate declarations.

Overall, this is a great collection. A listener has over an hour of personal worship time, and worship leaders can easily pick any song from this collection for their local worship service. If you want a worship experience, Can’t Be Silent by Youth for the Nations delivers!

BIO:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MelaSie
Blog: http://worshipvanguard.blogspot.com/
TWC: http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/forums/members/worshipvanguard.html

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[Review] Perfect Love by Christ for the Nations

Russ Hutto — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:30:44 +0000

We’ve put together a great panel of reviewers for Christ for the Nation’s Perfect Love. A special thanks to them for taking the time to listen and review this album for The Worship Community!

Each contributor brings a unique perspective to this review!

The reviewers are asked to comment on scriptural basis, congregational singing, band accessability, and their own personal insights.

We at TWC hope you enjoy this review and find it helpful when selecting songs for your local worship experiences.

Please leave your own comments and insights regarding Perfect Love in the comment section or respond in the forums!

Tom Kline

This album offers a broad scope of great new songs. From beat-driven rock to quiet reflection, there is plenty here for the Christian music lover to love.

Recorded live, it takes us from the sorrow of the cross to the intimacy of the King’s chambers, to the majesty of the throne room of the Almighty.

I found each song to be solidly founded on scriptural precepts. Several songs have clear basis in specific passages:

* He Is is based on Colossians 1:15-20
* Blessed Is the One is taken from the Triumphal Entry
* The 23rd Psalm runs throughout Perfect Love
* All of Me alludes to the alabaster jar of fragrance (Luke 7) and the King’s chambers (Song of Solomon)
* And in You Are Holy, we find ourselves with Isaiah in God’s throne room (Is.6)

Most of these songs can be adapted for congregational singing. I found myself singing along with O Crimson Flow, Something So Real, Wonderful God, Blessed Is the One and You Are Holy .Each of these is very singable; the tempo is upbeat and the music pulls you in.

Three of the songs are quiet and reflective; Perfect Love, All of Me, and You Deserve It All. They are singable, and will work best during the times when we need to recommit ourselves.

Some songs are high-energy throughout. Glorify Our King and Give You Glory both have a strong beat and high excitement level.

Seven of the songs are more than six minutes long, so they would need to be shortened to work in most Sunday worship services. I am not fond of excessive repetition in songs, and two songs in particular are very repetitive.

Blessed Is the One is a beautiful Palm Sunday song, but the “Hosanna” part (six words) goes on for most of five minutes.

You Deserve It All uses the title phrase forty times, and a slight variation, thirty-two times, in twelve minutes. I found myself fast-forwarding to the next song about half way through.

On all the songs, the chorus is very singable and catchy.

Bands should have very little trouble with most of these, and there are some great solo parts.

This album is full of good choices for church worship use. Some will be more challenging than others.

I especially like O Crimson Flow, Wonderful God, All of Me, and You Are Holy. You Are Holy tops my list because it does such a masterful job of capturing the feel of what Isaiah was experiencing.

These songs have led me into deep and heart-changing worship. Time will tell how these songs will be used to help build His kingdom.

Tom Kline is a lover of Christian music, an unpublished song writer, and has led worship for over six years. A grandfather of eleven, he is old enough to have seen much, but young enough to still have a passion for life.
You can find him on Facebook (Tom Kline) and theworshipcommunity.com (Wannabe a Worshiper).

Ryan Cornett

Let’s just say Perfect Love from Christ For The Nations starts off with a bang.

I was surprised to hear a song with such a traditional sound as the opening track, but as the song wore on, I could see why Oh Crimson Flow is the opener. The rest of the album, composed of more contemporary worship tracks–all of which flow well from one to the other–keeps up the momentum. The majority of these songs lend themselves to a great degree of usability for the smaller church.

With songs based on Scriptures such as Isaiah 6 and Colossians 1 like You Are Holy and He Is, respectively, there is no shortage of Biblically sound lyrics. Furthermore, the varieties of song lengths, tempos, and voices ensure there is something for everyone. Certain songs contain sections that become somewhat repetitive, but one has to remember that this is a live recording; what’s being heard is the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Overall, I’m extremely glad I had the chance to lend this record my ears for a few minutes. Those few minutes have turned into hours as I have now listened to the album many times through.

I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from Christ For The Nations.

Ryan is a worship leader and children’s minister at Manchester Baptist Church in south-eastern Kentucky.
Follow his tweets at http://twitter.com/ryancornett.

Maggie Cook

Perfect Love by Christ for the Nations grabbed my attention from the first song. The mix of a more traditionally structured opening anthem followed by some really catchy contemporary tunes was not only well done, but a great example for churches who work on doing that well on a weekly basis!

There are solid Scriptural basics in many of these songs and I found myself looking up passages as I listened to the lyrics, which tells me that this music could help to open hearts, as well as being music that lifts the spirit.

I am excited by the overall accessibility of this music for the small band – I look forward to being able to purchase the music to several of these songs for the small worship band I lead. I feel that we will be able to use this music effectively in our Services, even though we do not use loops. In addition, I like that the original keys and vocal ranges seem ‘congregation-friendly’. Some of the songs I really look forward to trying are Crimson Flow, Blessed Is the One and Something So Real for the congregation and You Deserve it All as a special music number.

As a personal means of worship, these tracks were being played over and over on my iPod the last week. There are some simple truths and reminders in the lyrics of several of the choruses that are built on really catchy musical lines, along with a great flow from one song to the next and from one intensity level to the next. It is unusual for me to find a CD that I will play every track of, several times, and don’t start to skip over some of the tracks once I have heard them a few times. This is one of those rare ‘play-it-all’ CDs for me.

A lot of future worship could be coming out of these songs!

Maggie Cook is worship leader at Grace Church in Northfield, Vt.
You can find her at www.twitter.com/Maggievt or at her Sunday Setlist blogspace maggievt.wordpress.com/

Samuel Sutter

Lots of albums use “live” sounds as a gimmicky special effect – Perfect Love by Christ for the Nations actually takes to that night. It does a great job at pulling the listener into a community of worshipers as if you were there. I’m always a little pragmatic when listening to worship albums – Can our band play this without getting tons of loops?, will our congregation be able to sing this without being distracted from the message?, Does the arrangement work for a band with less than Hillsongs’ 12 guitars? This is the rare album that I can give to a band with the the optimism that they can play each song well without a ton of loops.

This is a set of songs that I can easily imagine our church worshiping to – from reflecting on the debth of God’s grace through songs like Oh Crimson Flow to the catchy chorus of Something So Real. Each song reflects God’s glory and his work in a way that is really helpful toward encouraging and challenging people in the way that scripture does.

I’ve been playing the CD while typing this review, and it’s oddly frustrating how attached to and distracted by each song as it’s playing. I can’t treat it as background music. Right now I’m blasting He Is in my office – I really love this song. It’s a rare melody that can take creedal statements and make them contemporary and catchy with a level of energy that reflects the power of the statement it is making. They have managed to make lyrics that in other contexts seem stiff and have contextualized them to become meaningful to an worshipful audience.

Overall this is an album valuable for leaders looking for worship material – you will find some songs here that will be meaningful to your audience. But more then that it’s an album that will bring you to a place of worship with a mighty God who loves perfectly.

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Album Review: Eternity Invades (Vicky Beeching)

Gary Durbin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:04:19 +0000

ALBUM REVIEW: Eternity Invades (Vicky Beeching)
By Guest Contributor, Gary Durbin

On a previous Music Monday post, I said that Eternity Invades is probably the album I most eagerly await this year. Now, after listening to it, I can say that my anticipation was well warranted.

For me, I truly feel that Vicky took a big step in the right direction with this latest release. Her songwriting is on another level from her previous releases. I also really love the production and musicality much better.

The thing I like most, though, is the obvious heart for the local church and corporate worship that comes out of the songs. All of the tunes are accessible and can be implemented into corporate worship. The songs are singable, which sadly is not a common thing to find in “worship” music lately.

The standout, of course, is “Glory to God Forever” (hear sample in iTunes). I must confess that I wasn’t totally wild about the intro. It sounded a little too choral, but after the song kicks in, I really enjoyed Vicky’s version of the song, which will also be a great version for women worship leaders.

The song that really knocked me on my feet was “Deliverer”. I cannot wait to teach this song to our church. A wonderful, fresh approach as a scripture song.
My other favorites were “Blessing and Honor”, “Inhabit the Praise”, and “Listening”. But truly, I really enjoyed every track, and that is definitely a rare characteristic for any album.

Having met Vicky, I get the feeling that she’s a humble “rock star”. I love it when extremely gifted people don’t take themselves too seriously, and I get that vibe from Vicky.

I highly recommend this album, especially if you are into worship music. This is not just another CCM album…this is good stuff. Great job, Vicky!

“Eternity Invades” launches TODAY, April 6. Get it on iTunes.

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Review: Beautiful Things by Gungor

Russ Hutto — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:34:49 +0000

The Live Experience

Every once in a while a person gets to experience what will soon be known as a pivotal moment in the history of music and art. I believe that I have experienced this. It might never happen again in my lifetime, but as I sat mesmerized by the haunting and beautiful lyrical artistry painted by Michael and Lisa Gungor, I knew in my heart of hearts that this was something greater than I had ever experienced before.

Few times in my life have I ever been blown away, let alone engaged by, a performance that was so masterfully crafted and at the same time an offering of worship so pure and “right.” I’m not one of those guys who thinks performance and worship have to live in separate worlds. I’ve always held to the notion that performance CAN be worship and that we as performers should offer our performances as acts of worship. There is a fine line, though. A lot of times performances fall short of the heart of worship and leave us empty.

Not so with the live performance of Beautiful Things. In a room of about 150, there was not one person that wasn’t captivated by the musical journey that Gungor laid before us and invited us to travel. Throughout the performance, the energy in the room was tangible.

Using everything from classical guitar to banjo to keytar to a live string section to screaming rock guitars, Gungor used the familiar to weave together a musical tapestry that displayed a landscape of musical artistry that has not been traveled by many, if any at all. Elements that we’ve all seen and heard most of our lives and wouldn’t consider new were interwoven into a beautiful, new kind of worship music that captured the hearts and minds of those in the room.

When the last song had concluded the glory of God filled the room. There was a weight, almost like a cloud in the room. We all knew that it was a great performance, but above and beyond that God was with us in a manifest way. The standing ovation lasted for almost 5 minutes. And although we were applauding Gungor, ultimately we were applauding God for allowing us to be a part of His brilliant shining in and through Gungor that day.

Never before have I, as a trained composer and musician, been mesmerized by a performance as such. If you get a chance to experience this performance live, don’t miss out on the opportunity.

The CD: Beautiful Things

Most worship leaders are familiar with Michael Gungor. Even if you’ve never heard any of his recordings, you’ve probably sung a song of his the last decade. He co-wrote “Friend of God” with Israel Houghton (who makes a guest appearance on Beautiful things) and has more songwriting credit under his belt at age 29 than most of us would know what to do with in a lifetime.

If I could describe this recording with one word it would be “journey.” Michael writes, arranges, performs, gathers musicians, and ultimately records a journey. Beautiful Things is indeed an album of beautiful things.

The cd opens with a beautiful, classical guitar intro that builds to a driving rock anthem that ebbs and flows creating a wonderful tension as the song moves through. You’ll want to sit back and crank the volume on this one. The lyrics draw the listener in from the first word sung.

Each song paints a mesmerizing picture and carries the listener to a place of reverent and thoughtful contemplation.

What I am amazed by is the simple, repetitive nature of most of the songs. We’re not talking about extremely wordy songs here. Michael captures depth and beauty in a phrase and weaves it into a musical tapestry that sweeps the lyric straight to the heart of the listener.

Lyrically, each song is amazing. There is no “weak” song on this album. Songs that stand out: Dry Bones, Beautiful Things, You Have Me, Cannot Keep You, Please Be My Strength, Late Have I Loved You.

This is definitely a turning point in “worship” music. A pivotal moment in the way that worship artists express worship. The only thing that I’m having a hard time with is how this fits into the whole of worship music for the church. There is NO doubt in my mind that this was indeed a CORPORATE worship experience when I saw them live. There was not a person in the room who wasn’t engaging God throughout this performance.

However, the average church might have a hard time integrating this into “normal” worship. I definitely feel like a youth or college worship band could easily integrate any song from this recording into their corporate worship gatherings.

That being said, there is something here. Something new. Something fresh. Something that could shake the foundations of “normal” and push us into a new movement. I’m there. I recognize a new thing springing forth in a landscape of dry routine and status quo. Gungor has burst onto the “worship” scene with this album. Not in a commercial sense, but in a genuine “WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS?” kind of way.

Inspiration

I do believe this recording is a generation gap bridger. Young and old will connect to the masterful performance captured on this cd. Gungor moves through classical stylings to in your face rock to lilting folk to gritty blues and does them all well. This is no cheesy variety show though, it’s a fusion of familiar resulting in a rebirth of sorts. A new offering of worship that will engage the listener and draw them into the journey.

Even if you’re not able to integrate any of the songs from this recording into your repertoire, you MUST HAVE this album personally. It will inspire you to greater leadership, greater creativity, greater expression, greater contemplation, and ultimately just greater things.

GungorMusic.com | itunes: Beautiful Things

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