The Best Worship Surprise of 2017| Posted April 17, 2017
It's been a year or so of transition for the worship movement coming out of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla. The group--made up of volunteer student worship leaders--has been making albums every year since 2013, but their self-titled release is something different. It's not just a rebirth of the group under new worship pastor and main songwriter David Ryan Cook, not just a stylistic and production value upgrade, but a wholesale exclamatory introduction to the greater global worship community.
With this new record, listeners will find 11 strong individual tracks that flawlessly balance creativity and approachability, bringing a current sound to songs that could easily find a place in just about any Sunday morning worship context.
The "current sound" of incredible, interesting and varied electronic sounds peppered throughout the album reflects the musical leanings of Cook, who joined SEU after being on paid staff 5 years at Hillsong Church's City Campus in Sydney, Australia. Comparisons to Hillsong Young & Free are fair (although this reviewer prefers this project to the latest Y&F offering), as Cook deployed Y&F producer Michael Fatkin to create the soundscape for SEU Worship.
The songs run the gamut of club-friendly celebration tune ("Fountain of Youth", "Never Gonna Hide", "Great is Your Love") to the gut-wrenching expressions of adoration in ballad form ("Revival", "The Fullness", "Calvary's Tide", "Sanctuary"). Most tracks, however, fit nicely into a midtempo jam, where SEU Worship finds continually inventive (never the same) beats and grooves, also allowing for the movement's talented soloists to do a little vocal gymnastics.
Lyrically, the project is really strong, pointing to familiar concepts with inventive language. The topic of resurrection is addressed this way in the first track: "Filled with your love, found in your truth, I am forever young in You / You are my hope, my fountain of youth, Jesus my future's found in You."
One of the strongest tracks is album closer "Sanctuary" that resounds: "We are wrapped in resurrection / You have clothed us in Your glory / And now our hearts are no longer wand'ring / You've become our sanctuary!" The lyrics are definitely meant to be savored and reflected upon!
The Bottom Line:
One thing we LOVE about our job at NRT is discovering incredible music in unexpected places. To have a school-based worship outfit creating such memorable music that's current, creative and congregational is nothing short of extraordinary, and I hope that people pay attention to what SEU Worship is doing. This is one of the best worship albums of 2017 so far, and has all the makings of a strong movement coming out of the Southeast.
to add lyrics if not listed.
