SaintLewis
02-27-2007, 01:05 PM
I will post more eventually, but immediately, I thought I'd post a quick list of my absolute favorite worship c.d.'s in the past several years. In no particular order apart from how to come to me...
1. Matt Redman - "Where Angels fear to Tread"
Containing the incredible, passionate, and contageous tunes "Blessed be Your Name", "Wonderful Maker", and "Lord, Let Your glory Fall", this - by far Redman's most rockin' release (though his newest, "Beautiful News" - which I also really like - is a close 2nd) is also consistent from beginning to end, especially if you like the 'electric guitar' driven rock worship releases. I also strongly suggest his Live 'greatest hits' release, "Blessed be Your Name."
2. Eoghan Heaslip - "Grace in the Wilderness"
Rarely am I struck so deeply by a c.d. which contains almost NO material I can actually use in the corporate worship gatherings in which I find myself. The only songs I've used from this release are "Let Your name be Glorified", "Offering", and "Great Redeemer", and the later two of those just didn't get the response I'd hoped for, even in a youth setting. All that aside, however, I love every note, every lyric, and even the production of this DEEP DEEP DEEP cd from start to finish. Though "Mercy", his debut, is far more accessible, this is the one I suspect will be with me for the long haul.
3. Vineyard Music - "More than Ever"
Though I don't actually own this c.d., I've heard it, I own alternate recordings of over 90% of it, and already lead 9 of it's 12 songs in various contexts on a regular basis. These songs are loud, passionate, lyrically/doctrinally sound, and CATCHY. These are essentially live versions of some of the best tracks from "Dwell" and "Sweetly Broken", two of Vineyard's best studio releases of the past 10 years.
4. Sovereign Grace Music - "Valley of Vision"
In the past I've enjoyed a song here and there from various Sovereign Grace releases - who can forget the classic "I stand in Awe"?! More often than not, however, either the arrangement, production, or performance on the recordings have turned me off from regularly listening to most of their releases. With "Valley of Vision" that all changed. Produced pristinely, with a great blend of edgy rock songs, mid-tempo fist-pumpers, and beautiful ballads, VoV is by far the best cd Sovereign Grace has released to date. I've introduced 2 songs from it in the last few months at various Youth related events - "Heavenly Father, Beautiful Son" and "It was Your Grace" (which, though the loudest song on the cd, actually is more powerful as a ballad when brought into a worship setting) and they've been very well received. This cd seems to perfectly merge passionately performed contemporary worship with solid, doctrinally-sound, DEEP lyrical content, but what do you expect from an entire Church planting organization of charismatic/pentacostal Calvinists? These are hymns for a new generation.
And though I've only heard a few songs from it, I am REALLY looking forward to Graham Kendrick's newest, "Out of the Ordinary", which contains to incredible songs co-written by Paul Baloche, "Creation's King" and "What can I Do." He may be old, but he's still taking risks, and I appreciate that.
Anyway, that's all for now...
1. Matt Redman - "Where Angels fear to Tread"
Containing the incredible, passionate, and contageous tunes "Blessed be Your Name", "Wonderful Maker", and "Lord, Let Your glory Fall", this - by far Redman's most rockin' release (though his newest, "Beautiful News" - which I also really like - is a close 2nd) is also consistent from beginning to end, especially if you like the 'electric guitar' driven rock worship releases. I also strongly suggest his Live 'greatest hits' release, "Blessed be Your Name."
2. Eoghan Heaslip - "Grace in the Wilderness"
Rarely am I struck so deeply by a c.d. which contains almost NO material I can actually use in the corporate worship gatherings in which I find myself. The only songs I've used from this release are "Let Your name be Glorified", "Offering", and "Great Redeemer", and the later two of those just didn't get the response I'd hoped for, even in a youth setting. All that aside, however, I love every note, every lyric, and even the production of this DEEP DEEP DEEP cd from start to finish. Though "Mercy", his debut, is far more accessible, this is the one I suspect will be with me for the long haul.
3. Vineyard Music - "More than Ever"
Though I don't actually own this c.d., I've heard it, I own alternate recordings of over 90% of it, and already lead 9 of it's 12 songs in various contexts on a regular basis. These songs are loud, passionate, lyrically/doctrinally sound, and CATCHY. These are essentially live versions of some of the best tracks from "Dwell" and "Sweetly Broken", two of Vineyard's best studio releases of the past 10 years.
4. Sovereign Grace Music - "Valley of Vision"
In the past I've enjoyed a song here and there from various Sovereign Grace releases - who can forget the classic "I stand in Awe"?! More often than not, however, either the arrangement, production, or performance on the recordings have turned me off from regularly listening to most of their releases. With "Valley of Vision" that all changed. Produced pristinely, with a great blend of edgy rock songs, mid-tempo fist-pumpers, and beautiful ballads, VoV is by far the best cd Sovereign Grace has released to date. I've introduced 2 songs from it in the last few months at various Youth related events - "Heavenly Father, Beautiful Son" and "It was Your Grace" (which, though the loudest song on the cd, actually is more powerful as a ballad when brought into a worship setting) and they've been very well received. This cd seems to perfectly merge passionately performed contemporary worship with solid, doctrinally-sound, DEEP lyrical content, but what do you expect from an entire Church planting organization of charismatic/pentacostal Calvinists? These are hymns for a new generation.
And though I've only heard a few songs from it, I am REALLY looking forward to Graham Kendrick's newest, "Out of the Ordinary", which contains to incredible songs co-written by Paul Baloche, "Creation's King" and "What can I Do." He may be old, but he's still taking risks, and I appreciate that.
Anyway, that's all for now...