Emotionally moving| Posted August 06, 2014 Death, Be Not Proud by Audrey Assad is the follow-up worship EP to last year’s stellar independent full-length worship album Fortunate Fall. This album is centered on the truth found in a line from the poet John Donne for inspiration: "Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so." Audrey says of the album: "Being pregnant, experiencing new life, and beholding several friends go through gut wrenching losses of infants both in the womb and outside the womb, I felt connected to these themes in an entirely deeper and newer way."
The poetic opener “Death, Be Not Proud” is sung tenderly by Audrey, “So death, if your sleep be the gates to Heaven, Why your confidence? When you will be no more, you will be no more, when you will be no more. Even death will die.” There is incredible comfort and biblical Truth in this song and Audrey’s passionate vocals will have you hanging on every word.
I love the song “Death in his Grave” as it was originally recorded by John Mark McMillan and this version is truly excellent. I have been consistently drawn to John Mark’s sincerity and profound songwriting. As believers, we know that Jesus Christ laid death in his grave. The very poetic lyrics in this song are a beautiful picture of what Jesus did for us; He came to Earth and became fully human and yet remained fully God. By dying for our sins as the perfect Man, He became the only worthy sacrifice and spotless Lamb who laid down His life so that we could be saved. The song allows worshipers to thank Jesus for His sacrifice and for conquering the grave. The lyrics are based on 1 Corinthians 15:21 (NKJV): “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.”
“Lamb of God” is a sincere and catchy love song sung to Jesus proclaiming Him as the Lord of our lives—“Holiest treasure Lord, You are. Fairest pleasure of our hearts / You will ever be our great desire.” Like her previous Psalm 23 inspired offerings, “Lead Me On” and “I Shall Not Want,” this song praises Jesus for laying down His life to defeat death as our Shepherd. Audrey beautifully captures the essence of John 1:29 (NKJV): “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.”
“Receive” is a vertical profession of faith that churches of any denomination can sing in their services. You’ll join along with Audrey and proclaim, “It is God who we encounter / It is God that we receive / From this altar / From this altar / From this altar we do believe.”
I can’t get enough of “Love is Moving.” Audrey’s passionate vocals will have you hanging on every word. The song stops me in my tracks as Audrey slays me with her confessional and prayerful vocal style, especially in the bridge which moves me every time I sing it,—"So we reach, we reach our hands to Him / Just to touch, to touch the Healer's hand / We fall, we fall in worship / Our God is with us." There is great comfort in knowing Jesus and being known by Him in every detail of our lives. The fact that through the Holy Spirit, we can encounter Jesus is profound. Many of my favorite worship songs are about stripping everything else away, and praying out loud for the presence of God, His Son Jesus and The Holy Spirit, and having a moving and meaningful encounter with Jesus. This song does that for me.
Closing Thoughts:
These great new worship songs really sets me in the proper mindset to praise God for loving me so much that He gave His life away for all that was lost. As with Audrey’s previous offerings, every song on this album is worshipful and catchy. The idea of an entire album filled with songs about finding the promise of new life in Jesus in the face of death is challenging and inspiring. What’s especially cool about this new album is how every song is true to that biblical concept with strong messages.
Audrey puts her full passion behind everything she sings. I really enjoy the reflective musical vibe of this album and the melodies and lyrics are all catchy, emotionally moving and prayerful. Death, Be Not Proud is loaded with poetic and introspective lyrics reflecting unashamed faith in Jesus. Don't miss out on this incredible worship album, one of the best of the year for sure.
Song to download now:
“Love is Moving” (Get it on iTunes here).
Audrey Assad In Concert!| Posted August 25, 2014 Audrey Assad will appear in concert at the Marshall High School Auditorium for the Performing Arts on Saturday, September 13th at 7:30 p.m. with special guests Bellarive. General seating tickets are available online athttp://audreyassadtour.ticketleap.com. Assad is Catholic singer-songwriter. Her debut album, The House You're Building was named Christian Album of 2010 on Amazon.com and Christian Breakthrough Album of the Year on iTunes.
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