Holy Mystery (Single)
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Conley Worship Conley Worship is the collective formed by Maryland-based worship leader David Conley. The Liberty University graduate just released "Holy Mystery" as the firstfruits of the upcoming album, Are...
New Life x New Vibe (Single)
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Red Letter Hymnal Red Letter Hymnal got its start doing Christian Dubstep/EDM covers of worship songs, garnering more than a million views each on videos for "One Thing Remains" and "God's Not Dead."...
Me Against the World: Vol. 2
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5ive Rapper 5ive, also known as Craig James, has a pretty incredible, radical conversion story of how Jesus met him in a huge way and instantly ended his addictions. Since then, he's been sold-out to God,...
A Multifaceted Experience | Posted July-17-2014
One of the largest, most prominent churches in the Dallas area, Covenant Church has had a robust and talented roster of worship leaders for some time now. The four-campus, multicultural church has enjoyed several other releases from its worship team--fronted by senior worship pastors David and Nicole Binion--but with their latest live album, Kingdom, they're looking to take things up a notch.
They put themselves on good footing for power-packed praise by enlisting the production and vocal talents of top-level worship artist Israel Houghton, whose flavor eclectic musical mixtures can be felt throughout the record.
Houghton's voice is a powerful addition to the Covenant team (as it certainly would be anywhere), and the worship leaders' unisoned, choral-type vocals shine the most when his stratospheric tenor soars above them. "Risen"--the standout track of the record--features pounding synths that propel Houghton's voice. Nicole Binion blends well with Houghton, and the vibe of the song is very celebratory (think Hillsong Young & Free). The message of Jesus' resurrection is a good one for Easter.
Israel's vocals also loom large and in charge on the other songs in which he's featured: "Can't Stop Singing" and "I Am Loved Medley." On "Can't Stop Singing," Houghton delivers a fun and declarative line: "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, 'cause I can't stop shouting!"
On the other numbers, Nicole Binion's pure, Darlene Zschech-like vocals are a definite highlight, particularly on her two solo songs, "Here Waiting" and "First Loved Me." Nicole's voice (good enough in my opinion to be a Disney princess) evokes a lot of passion, and her delivery adequately matches the powerful messages of both songs. On "First Loved Me," I particularly like the line: "Your grace covered my shame and saw my need."
Stylistically, Covenant shows its multicultural makeup with its musical diversity. From the energetic, driving distortion guitars of opener "New Every Morning" to the driving Southern rock-influenced "Good to Me" to the Rend Collective-like Celtic jam of "Your Kingdom Knows No End," the band shows it won't shy away from any style, really.
Other great moments include the great refrain repeated in "Let the Name of Jesus Reign"--"Jesus reign, reign in our hearts, reign in our souls, you and you alone / Jesus reign in this place, with power and grace, let Your kingdom come"--as well as the atmospheric free-form praise by Nicole Binion at about 5 ½ minutes in "More, Holy Spirit."
Closing Thoughts:
Covenant Worship strikes a good balance between the choir-style worship vocals of the past (think Hillsong in the Darlene Zschech era), timeless Gospel sounds, and at times edgy modern musical arrangements, complete with gritty guitars and pounding synths.
Kingdom does a good job of capturing a live church atmosphere. I mean, you really feel like you're part of something live as you listen through. From the admonishments and encouragements of the worship leaders, to the free praise, to the massive vocals from the veritable choir of singers, Kingdom is less like a traditional worship album, and more of an experience of one particular, powerful night.
Meditation Meets Declaration | Posted July-07-2014
Michael Ketterer became a favorite among NRT staff several years ago when he released his debut solo project Love/War/Solar System, which was a funky, pop-driven, refreshing dose of something completely different in Christian music.
Now, three years after that release, Ketterer has returned, fueled by his life experiences, which include living as part of the United Pursuit community in Knoxville, Tenn., and—perhaps most poignantly—adopting four boys from the foster care system.
The result of these experiences is The Wild Inside, a 12-track collection of songs that merge the artistry we saw from Ketterer’s debut with his “soaking” style of worship as part of United Pursuit Band.
This project vacillates between ambient, atmospheric, meditative worship album (a la United Pursuit Band) and electronic-soul-pop-worship anthems.
In the ambient, meditative realm, “Awaken the Child” is a prayer for childlike faith, wrapped in playful tones. Violins and reverb-drenched “ahhs” fill “Be Your Heart,” and a chorus of children near the end of the song is especially moving and memorable as Ketterer sings about being Christ’s hands and feet. “Praises”, “My Salvation”, “Pressing On” (briefly featuring United Pursuit’s Will Regan) and “The One Who Sees” all bring reflective, soundtrack-like ballads that are easy in which to get submerged. (That’s a good thing.)
While the “soaking” songs are excellent for prayer time, private worship or meditation, Ketterer shines most on the big-sounding, anthemic, declarative songs on this album.
“For Freedom” is triumphant and large, with electronic embellishments and electric guitars serving as a backdrop for Ketterer’s soulful chorus (complete with soaring “oohs”). This song is easily singable and declares the rescue Jesus brought us: “For freedom / You paid the price / to give us life.”
Perhaps the most 1980s-sounding, electronically influenced song, “Shine Your Light,” is another album highlight. This track finds a good balance between meditative and “congregational,” starting low and building to a passionate peak. The song provides one of the best breakdowns on the album, with the bridge resounding, “You are my God and Your love endures forever.”
The standout song on this album is “Dry and Broken,” which features acoustic guitar, orchestral strings, a thunderous, driving beat that paints an epic background for Ketterer to sing about how the love of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit fills us up and gives life to dry bones. It’s exciting, particularly when you sing along to the phrases, “We surrender to Your love!” and “We speak to these dry bones, life and breath and hope!”
“Coming Alive,” which was featured on Ketterer’s moving and inspirational album teaser video for The Wild Inside, has an epic soundtrack feeling to it, with dramatic statements presented dramatically throughout, such as: “Such peace I could never fake when I’m near you,” and, “I feel the scales falling off my eyes,” and, “We join in with the angels, we join in with all the saints, we join in with creation, worthy is the lamb-worthy is the lamb!”
Closing Thoughts:
Those expecting a follow-up to Love/War/Solar System aren’t going to find it, as this album certainly has taken more of a vertical direction. (The closest Ketterer comes to Love/War/Solar System is a much-stripped-down reprise of “Wild One” that opens the record.) That said, there’s plenty to love here, and fans of Ketterer’s unique voice will find many special moments.
Michael Ketterer walks the line of styles, tones and themes very well here, and there’s no question this is an anointed album rife with personal passion that comes from pursuing the kingdom of God in a number of ways. This is an album for reflecting on the amazing things Jesus has done, is doing, and offers to us now.
Perfecting His Trade | Posted March-28-2014
In short time, David Thulin has gone from behind-the-scenes producer (and former Alaskan brush pilot) to go-to remix master in Christian music. After his experimental first album with Dream Records, Reconstruction, Thulin earned his stripes, opening him up to the larger Christian music world.
These days, he's producing a weekly Christian EDM radio show (for NRT Radio, full disclosure), starting an EDM wing of Dream Records and fielding an ever-growing number of requests from artists asking for remixes.
The result of this quick progression in his career is the first of two EPs from David Thulin due in 2014, titled Reconstruction 2.1. An intelligent fellow, it becomes clear upon listening to this EP that Thulin is always learning, always pressing forward, and thus, always perfecting his craft.
The first track on this EP is an original by Thulin, "Light In Me," featuring Nicole Croteau of Press Play. The dreamlike synths paint a sense of wonder as Croteau's powerhouse vocals declare heartfelt devotion to God: "Even if the moon won't shine / And even if the sun won't rise / Even if the lights go out / You're glowing within me / Even if the darkness comes / The heart of you will still shine on / When you call me, I will run / The world will see / Your light in me."
"Light In Me" is a bold presentation of Thulin's ability to not just "reconstruct" others' works, but to contribute originals of his own. (NOTE: He did give us original material with his first album, but this is the first with actual vocals and lyrics.)
A thumping beat and trance soundscapes color the remix of "Architecture," the current hit single by Thulin's brother, Jonathan--another Dream Records artist. The mark of a good remix exists when you don't compare the remix to its original, but rather you see them as two separate songs. This is the case with "Architecture," which was transformed from a dramatic ballad into a head-bobbing club-friendly hit. Word on the street is that Jonathan's next album will be more heavily electronic; did this "reconstruction" have a hand in that?
Another labelmate, Press Play, gets the remix treatment on Reconstruction 2.1, with a different look at "Love Audio." This is a power-packed, grinding retelling of this song from #LITO, and honestly, it's better than the original. It hits hard, deploys some pretty strong bass, beats and dubstep gymnastics.
I love what Thulin does with people's voices. He chops them up and turns everybody into a robot. He does this throughout Reconstruction 2.1, but particularly excels at this with his treatment of "Beautiful Love" by Shine Bright Baby. While the base song itself is probably the least dance club-friendly of the bunch, Thulin does a masterful job of painting it with trance strokes and embellishing it with those android-like vocal cuts. I think there might've been better songs to have remixed from the band's BEC Recordings debut, Dreamers--actually, the title track might've been awesome!--one can understand the choice of the band's first radio single.
Rapture Ruckus' lead single from Invader Vol. I, "In Crowd," already was an electronic-heavy song, and yet Thulin finds a way to differentiate it from the original. He changes up the beat to give it a more linear feel, and deploys gritty synths that turn an 80s-sounding pop song into an edgy, aggressive dance track.
Perhaps the biggest artist on Reconstruction 2.1 is featured on the final track of the EP, as Thulin remixes Natalie Grant's "This is Love." This is perhaps the strongest track of a very strong set of remixes, likely because Natalie Grant's aggressive, soaring vocals provide a powerful counter to Thulin's high octane instrumentation. Thulin knows how to strip it down to strings and piano, too, letting Grant's vocals shine to close out the EP.
Closing Thoughts:
David Thulin is only getting started. He's perfecting his craft at a breakneck pace, and the way he does it is important: He finds the best from the original tracks, and creates instrumentation that allows the "bones" of the song to shine.
It makes a ton of sense for Thulin to start making EPs rather than full-length albums. In the fast-paced, fickle world of music, tastes change, and so do hit songs, so Thulin has positioned himself to stay current and relevant. We're looking forward to his next crop of reconstructions, which should (somehow) even be better than these.
Great songwriting mired in 'off' production | Posted March-28-2014
I have to say the moment I first heard Peter Furler sing on the new Sun and Shield album, I took a nice deep breath. I mean, Christian music just isn't the same without his voice.
Yes, I'm aware Furler already released a solo album a few years ago, but it was always an uncertain thing. People just weren't sure if he was sticking around. With the new "Peter Furler Band"--featuring former Superchick/former Audio Adrenaline guitarist Dave Ghazarian and drummer Jeff Irizarry--it seems Furler is letting us know he's looking to do something a bit more permanent.
It's impossible to mention Furler without mentioning Newsboys. While today's Newsboys (with Michael Tait at the helm) are perhaps hotter than ever, one thing we at NRT noticed with the band's recent release, Restart, is that the quirky songwriting of the band is a thing of the past. That quirky songwriting, of course, could be attributed to its former frontman, Furler.
So for those Newsboys fans pining for the quirky lyrics of old, Sun and Shield has you covered. The driving opener, title track "Sun and Shield" provides this gem: "Bitterness is a fault line / Envy's a golden calf / Idols break when it all shakes down / And split your heart in half."
Let's get this out of the way right now: the cover art is a bit disappointing. I mean, it appears that it's just a press photo of the band with someone putting "PETER FURLER BAND" in Arial font across them diagonally. I just would think at the stage in his career we might see something a bit more creative. I digress...
Also, in other not-so-shiny news, there's just something odd about the production values of this album. Not sure if it's the mixing, the effects placed on the tracks, or a combination of the two, but it seems Furler has taken a step back in terms of overall studio sound on Sun and Shield. It's a bit distracting, and it takes extra effort to focus on the "bones" of the songs, as well as the lyrics.
Musically, though, there are some noteworthy highlights. "Yeshua" is anthemic and big, and echoingly worshipful. The aggressive and soaring "The Overcomer" is probably the best-produced track on the album, and carries a tremendous message--definitely the strongest song there. "Shame" shows the softer side of Furler with emotional, whispery vocals that build into a cry of desperation.
There are some other good moments, too. "So High" starts with a bass-heavy intro that basically just screams "Australia!" Happy to hear it. "Dare I Say" carries a dirty-rock vibe to reflect its bombastic lyrical theme of calling out the enemy's lying tactics.
Lyrically, there are some really great themes overall. "So High" talks about the futility of seeking self-centered success in this world. "Shame" is a deeply personal confession about how downcast feelings and thoughts can plague over and over. "Yeshua" is a ballad of high praise to Jesus.
"The Overcomer" provides some of the best wordplay, focused on the broken state of the world: "In this world ' We know the powers that be / Let dragons run free / Take heart, don't be afraid / This world's gonna be reborn / Sundown's coming / But we're getting warm / Here between Heaven and the perfect storm / You are the Overcomer."
On "The High Road," Furler talks about the path of righteousness versus the path of selfishness and the world: "Some run by on a victory lap / Some get lost and curse the map / Some give up and circle back around / When the high road calls out to the crippled and the blind / If you seek with all your heart / You will find."
Closing Thoughts:
Sun and Shield highlights lots of things that are good about Peter Furler, but sadly they're mired in a lot of sub-par production. If you can focus on the foundation of the songs, the incredible wordplay, and the fun Aussie-sounding musical licks, then you'll be in a good spot with this album.
My guess would be that the live experience would most certainly trump the audio experience on the album. Furler is an incredible entertainer and has written some good songs here; it's too bad they weren't given the treatment they deserved.
Leave the Lights On | Posted March-28-2014
It's no secret that dance music has caught on in Christian music, particularly in the praise & worship realm. From the pioneering days of techno-worshipper Andy Hunter to the days where remix albums by Family Force 5, David Thulin and Thousand Foot Krutch have been all the rage, people love their Jesus music with a healthy dose of synth and drum machines. You can hear this on the new Hillsong releases--particularly Young & Free--and in fits and starts with bands like Elevation Worship and Planetshakers.
Central Ohio worship pastor Chris Lawson has taken his love of worship music and desire to encourage the Church to CELEBRATE its freedom in Christ, and has formed Lights of Day. With driving beats, uncompromising lyrics and accessible vocals, Lawson seeks to shoot complacent worship with a 50,000-volt Taser.
Lights of Day's self-titled debut project presents 12 tracks of varying intensities and flavors, with one thing in common: the songs are current, congregational and passionate.
Of course it's natural to make comparisons when listening to new artists, and for this reviewer, Lights of Day has moments where Lawson's vocals recall shades of Richard Marx, Jeff Deyo (of Sonicflood), Adam Young (Owl City), and even a little Smitty. Lawson's voice, while undramatic, presents the accessible "worship-leader" sound that encourages singing. As a worship leader myself, this reviewer sees that as a good thing.
Many times, indie projects either have tremendous instrumentals or tremendous vocals; it's a rare thing to find a project that nails both aspects, and this is one of those.
Highlights of the album certainly are Lights of Day's high-octane EDM pulsators, including explosive soon-to-be-hit single "Shine Like the Morning", "Glorious Grace", "All I Am", "Heaven Come" and the Owl City-like "Praise is Rising." The dance-friendly take on "Crown Him with Many Crowns"--"Crown Him (Hail to the King)"--is a special moment as well.
Lights of Day has a few numbers that actually sound like conventional guitar-driven worship songs, such as "Our Mighty God Reigns" and "Love Has Made a Way." But in the mid- to low-tempo range, the project shines on songs that deploys more of the synth and drum machines, on songs like "You Are Able" and "All I Am"—although while traditionally constructed, "Mercy for the Guilty" is a soaring, haunting highlight.
Closing Thoughts:
It's an exciting time in Christian music, particularly when you realize that people can be making some pretty awesome, well-produced EDM like what we're hearing from Lights of Day.
Like many first projects do, Lawson is experimenting with varying styles within the EDM genre to which he's attached himself. There certainly are things that work really well for him--namely the uptempo praise explosions--and some things that work decently well. Basically, he's much stronger when rocking the synth-and-drum-machine anthems than when producing the traditional-sounding guitar-led tunes. In an industry that's increasingly less guitar-driven, that should be a major kudos.
Lights of Day provides plenty of great music that's more than just ear candy; it's worshipful, powerful praise. I expect that as this artist continues to develop and works on additional material, he'll zero in on the most effective aspects of this debut record and run with them.
Hymns are so hot right now, and it seems like the goal of many an artist these days is to dust off the timeless songs of the faith and make them accessible to a new generation. But man, it'd be pretty difficult for any band to do that better than Eleventyseven's Good Spells, a collection of five hymns that are given a bright, upbeat electro-pop makeover without losing the songs' original melodies or heart. Equal parts soul and synth, this album is a celebration of these incredible songs that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best Christian pop out today. You've never heard "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus", "Come Thou Fount" and "I Surrender All" like this before.
A year after releasing her debut album, A Wild Rose, Julie Elias is back, devoting her sophomore effort to Christmas tunes. The former Hollywood actress presents six cover songs and four originals for the new project, titled Holy Night.
When it comes to the cover songs, Elias provides decent interpretations, which are, for the most part, what you'd come to expect from songs such as "Joy to the World," "O Holy Night" and her melding of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel/What Child is This."
Highlights of her covers include "The First Noel," which has a bit of a Gloria Estefan feel to it. Overall, the album has a bit of a 1990s CCM feel to it, and this song uses that most to its advantage.
Elias puts a Nashville, Southern rock vibe on "O Come All Ye Faithful" that's both unexpected and fun, and she shockingly ends her album with jazz, of all things. The piano, drums and upright bass give the classic "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" a jazz club vibe, and Elias' voice works well with it.
The original songs on Holy Night are definitely the highlights of the album. Although the instrumentation generally remains in the throwback arena, the songwriting is solid and the themes powerful.
"The Nativity Song" simply and profoundly tells the story of Jesus' birth in dramatic fashion—almost like it belongs in a Christmas musical or film soundtrack. The chorus is catchy: "You, you are the light / And you, you are the hope / And you, you are the newborn king."
There are some nicely written word pictures in "Call Him Jesus," such as: "Mary holds the Savior while Heaven holds its breath." The song is a delicate one that shows off the lower end of Elias' vocal register.
"The Blessing" is a definite album highlight. While not distinctly a Christmas song, the tender expression of love is especially gripping. Elias' drama background continues to show itself, as her voice takes on a Disney princess quality (yes, that's a good thing here) as she sings, "When you come to me and hold me close to you / I bless you, and you bless me, too." The song could be from a parent to a child, or from God to His children, as the singer declares that throughout the day, "My blessing goes with you."
Elias lauds the excitement of the season with "Glorious Day," but points to Jesus as the ultimate source of hope and delight: "Seasons come, seasons go, but one thing will never change / The baby born in Bethlehem is the Truth that will remain." There's a nice "Gloria, in excelsis Deo" interlude from "Angels We Have Heard on High," complete with horns.
Closing Thoughts:
As we pointed out in her initial offering, Julie Elias is an honest and artistic songwriter, deploying her dramatic gifts into song. And, it's true, she shines the most when she's able to sing the songs she herself has written. I'm not sure the cover songs quite captured her level of artistry that the original songs did, yet overall, Holy Night is a nice, easy listen, especially for fans out there who loved the sounds from golden age of CCM in the 1990s.
I think moving forward, I'd love to see Elias experiment a bit more with the jazz angle of things, as it seemed to work well on "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," or more on the Latin-influenced end, as shown with "The First Noel."
There are some special moments on this album, for sure, yet the strength of this album really lies in its ability to play the background for setting a Christmas mood musically.
It's been more than two years since Bryce Avary decided to take his one-man band, The Rocket Summer, independent. The decision was a "wild ride," he said in an early 2013 interview with NRT, but overall enjoys the creative freedom it provides.
His first flex of those unshackled creative muscles came in the form of his latest full-length album, Life Will Write the Words, which performed lower than expected, but still received critical acclaim and some charting success. Yielding songs like "200,000" and "Revival," the record was one of Avary's most personal and most important.
Earlier this year, he told me in an interview that he'd never felt more creative in his life, and had the makings of 20 demo songs in his iPad for a future project. Songs came in large supply, it seemed, but when would some new tunes surface?
Then, out of nowhere, on Nov. 7, Avary posted on his social media accounts that he had decided on a lark to write, record and release a Christmas EP in just a matter of weeks. While most artists dedicate their summers to the production of Christmas projects, Avary called his shot for a quick turnaround.
He gave himself three days to write three songs and 10 days to, in his words, "learn how to properly engineer a record."
The result is the Christmas Madness EP that brings three brand-new songs and one cover tune to The Rocket Summer's library. So what would such a quickly created project sound like? What would the production quality be? Would the classic "summer" sounds of Avary translate to the winter vibe?
With the exception of some subtle jingle bells accompanying the percussion, the opening track, title track "Christmas Madness," sounds like classic The Rocket Summer, with the kind of high-energy guitar licks and driving beat that has fueled Avary's biggest hits.
In an interview with Alternative Press, Avary said "Christmas Madness" is about "the financial pressures that come with Christmas." It's a song from a man to his sweetheart, telling her that although they don't have any presents under the three, they have their relationship, and he swears on a snowflake that he'll eventually make her dreams come true.
With lines like, "My lady wants her wedding ring / Spent all my money on a drum machine / We'll be good one day, just stick with me / Set for life if I can sell a few beats," you wonder if there's some autobiographical content in there from an earlier time.
Musically, it's what you'd expect Christmas in California or Florida to sound like. It's warm, fun and upbeat—not a dreary "bleak midwinter" sound at all. It's shiny pop/rock at its finest. Oh, and there's a sweet saxophone solo from Avary's longtime friend. As for the rest of the instruments—Avary played ALL of them. Impressive for newcomers, but not surprising to fans familiar with The Rocket Summer.
Next comes "Elf Creep." This piano- and-drum-pad-driven song, essentially, is the confessions of an elf obsessed with a girl that he sees every year when he tags along with Santa. The first time I listened to this dark pop song, I was mildly disturbed, as I listened to this elf talk about how he crept into the window, stood in the shadows and watched this girl. But the more I listened to it, the more it grew on me, as I realized that the little elf was just in love. As he says in the song, "I'm not a stalker, I promise; I'm just a real, big, fan." I'm sure that's a line Avary has heard during his career.
He tells a great story with this song, and it's just a bunch of fun to hear how this elf gets "banned for life from hot cocoa." It demands a music video; I really want to see the scene where the elf finally gets the courage to appear to the girl.
It's a departure, for sure, for Avary to write a fun, fictional song like this, and he does a great job. Christmas purists aren't going to find anything about the manger and wise men on this song, but if they relax for a second and just enjoy the hilarious story, they'll love this tune. It's a standout on the EP, and one that deserves serious mainstream play.
Probably the biggest stylistic departure for The Rocket Summer is third track, "Grapevine Christmas Eve." It's also the most lyrically enigmatic, although it certainly has something to do with all the thoughts and emotions that come flooding when you come home for Christmas.
Avary ties his thoughts together with the following phrase: "Downtown and snowing / Christmas is coming / Everybody needs to be at home / Cold wind blowing / A warm homecoming / But oftentimes the place you feel alone."
The song is a a chilled-out, contemplative, easy listen. Over boom-bap synth drum sounds, Avary deploys the softer side of his voice. Just before the three-minute mark in the song, he breaks out into a rap-like bridge that feels equal parts Beatles and hip-hop.
The only cover song on the EP closes it out. "Silent Night" capitalizes on another one of Avary's many strengths and that's his simple acoustic-and-voice-only performances. Although he's incredible on many different instruments and using technology—heck, technology is what made this EP's existence and success possible to begin with—Avary excels at even the simplest instrumentations and arrangements.
With the tender strumming of a buzzing, crackling guitar as his only accompaniment, you get the feeling that you're listening in on a time of Avary's intimate Christmastime worship as he sings, "Fall on your knees / Oh hear the angel voices." It's a great way to end the EP, as Avary reflects on the real reason for the season, stripped away of all the "madness" we tend to add to it.
Closing Thoughts:
I was already a fan of The Rocket Summer, and I'm much more so now, as I'm blown away by the sheer talent and drive of Bryce Avary. He not only accomplished his goal of writing, recording and producing the EP in just a matter of a few short weeks; he produced something quality, something better than many projects that artists devoted their summers to creating. There's a massive library out there of Christmas music, and Avary did more than just add to the noise; he made something worth listening to.
Spiritually, "O Holy Night" says it all. While the other songs are not overtly about Jesus/manger/Bethlehem/Mary, they're distinctly The Rocket Summer in that they address real-life things we all go through. "Christmas Madness" gets us to focus on the fact that relationships are more important than trinkets, and "Grapevine Christmas Eve" tugs at all our emotions of going home again. These are life things that many of us can understand.
As for "Elf Creep," well, it might just be "an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato." Or it might just be awesome.
There's no question that Keith Elgin is a called and anointed worship leader. You can tell when you first pop in his latest live worship collection, Our Hope, that he has tremendous exhortation gifts and a deep passion for leading people into the presence of God. The Washington, D.C.-area worship pastor enjoys the perspective of both serving regularly at his home church and praising on the road—sharing the stage with the likes of Chris Tomlin and P.O.D., among others.
Our Hope comes on the heels of Elgin's 2011 EP, with five of the songs from that release finding their way onto this new full-length. Essentially, this record is two different records. On the one hand, you have a half-dozen of Elgin's takes on some of the most popular songs in worship music today, from Tomlin's "Our God" to Hillsong's "Stronger" to Jason Ingram and Reuben Morgan's "Forever Reign." On the other, you have a half dozen of his own original worship tunes.
With the cover songs, it's clear Elgin loves the tunes and has a passion for the words that are sung. But as far as the record is concerned, we don't learn a whole lot about Elgin as the artist. The arrangements are by and large close to the original/widely known versions, and thus don't add much to the equation. It's tough not comparing Elgin to the original artists and versions of the songs, so including those songs, while strategic and awesome for the particular night when this live album was recorded, doesn't do much for the listener of the recorded product. He does a great job on these covers; we just want to see more of Elgin the artist, as many of us experience covers of these songs on a weekly basis in our own churches.
That said, truly Elgin shines on his own material, where he's able to give us a glimpse into the things that make him worship and get him excited. The first original on the project, "Dance Dance Dance," would be at home with the New Life style of worship. His baritone vocals, the electric guitar riffs and the triumphant chorus would likely ring familiar to fans of Desperation Band and Jared Anderson. The encouragement to dance, sing and shout because of our faith in Jesus is exciting and great for a youth or conference setting. It's clear from these live recordings already that Elgin shines at encouraging and motivating the congregation.
With the first chord, you can tell things have become contemplative with "Our Hope is in You," a song Elgin wrote with Third Day frontman Mac Powell. You can tell this one has a little Southern influence in it when you hear the chorus. And if you really concentrate, it's not tough to imagine Mac singing it. The powerful chorus resounds: "Faith unshakable / hearts unbreakable / Our God will come through / Our hope is in You." It's a passionate, hopeful song designed to be sung through tears and gritted teeth, and it's one of the album highlights. Elgin introduces the bridge by declaring to the assembled, "When we face trouble in this world, we can rise when we run to the light that is Jesus."
"In My Life" is a song that talks about what Jesus did and responds with a powerful chorus prayer: "Be lifted high, be lifted high / In my life, Jesus be lifted high!" It's a song that starts reverently and solitarily, gradually building to a dramatic crescendo of passion in the chorus. It's a very simple song that could be played to congregations of 30 and 30,000—the mark of a good, universal-type song.
"Made For More" sounds like a Brandon Heath song, with that signature conversational-style singing the verse, followed by the rally cry that "we were made to love." This song plays out more like a midtempo pop song than a congregational worship tune, but that said, it's one of the strongest moments on the record, with great production, complementary backing instruments and CCM radio-friendly melodies. Lyrically, the excellent songwriting talks about the brokenness around us, which illustrates our need to share the love of Jesus.
I was a bit stunned to hear Elgin break out in rap with his final original song on the album, "Give it Up." The rap, while a gutsy expression of Luke 17:33 ("Whoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whoever shall lose his life shall preserve it."), fails to translate, at least on the recorded album. I'm sure it was a blast live. But in an age where lots of Christian rappers are delivering their rhymes flawlessly, the piece comes across a bit out of Elgin's stylistic neighborhood. With elements of rap, rock and even a little country on this one, the rap chorus takes Luke 17:33 to the streets: "You gotta give it up if you wanna live it up."
A great glimpse of what Elgin could do with cover songs comes on the last track of Our Hope, a track simply titled "Medley." It's a folk/country jamboree likely influenced by the likes of Christian music's reigning folk grandpappy, David Crowder. But Elgin really rocks at this style, and it suits his voice well. He seamlessly weaves "There is Power in the Blood of the Lamb," "I Saw The Light" and "I'll Fly Away" together.
Closing Thoughts:
What Keith Elgin's Our Hope does well, it does really well. It captures the energy and excitement of one particular night of worship. The DVD in particular does that, as you add visual stimulus to the audio. Elgin's original songs, by and large, complement his voice, are well written and are congregational.
Elgin proves himself on this project as a passionate worship leader and a good songwriter. I think in future projects I'd like to see him take some more risks with his recordings. The cover songs he did just didn't deviate too much from what we experience on Sunday mornings across Western civilization. While there is much to enjoy about Our Hope, Elgin revealed with his original songs and "Medley" that there's much more to see. And we want to see it.
As Christian music (and music in general) seems to split into two camps—the synth-driven dance music and the folk-driven campfire fare—I'd love to see Elgin take a crack at the folk end of things. It suits his voice well, and would allow for his excellent songwriting to be accompanied by some top-notch folk music experimentation. And that could prove a dynamite combination for this passionate worship leader.
Singing a Song to Fill the Void | Posted October-01-2013
Worship is the cornerstone of Hillsong Church in Australia. Originally called Hills Church, the runaway global popularity of their "Hillsong" albums led to the name change. With pioneers such as Darlene Zschech and Reuben Morgan leading the way, the world church received many of its Sunday anthems by way of Sydney.
But the adults weren't the only ones experiencing a tremendous move of worship. Something special happened when the worship teams of the middle school, high school and college groups from several different campuses converged for special nights of praise. Out of those gatherings, Hillsong UNITED was born.
Now, UNITED's original audience has grown up with them into twenty- and thirtysomethings, and a new youth movement has risen up from the land down under. Hillsong Young & Free carries the same youthful energy and passion as UNITED did in its earlier years, with a sound all its own.
Recorded live in Australia earlier this year, Young & Free's debut album, We Are Young and Free, deploys heavy synths, four-on-the-floor drum beats and some of the best vocals to hit any Hillsong album to date. But deeper than that is an unabashed explosion of praise to Jesus.
The first three songs are a danceable trifecta of awesomeness. "Brighter" immediately greets you with a bouncy bass synth that drives a song that was built for the Aussie kangaroo hop in worship. "Your light is taking over me," resounds the chorus with a powerful female lead vocal. "I find freedom in the light of your love," declares a verse.
Lead single "Alive" follows—a high-tempo, male-fronted song that extols our being made alive in Christ. It's a total earworm whose prechorus will stick in your head all day: "You are, you are, you are, our freedom / We lift you higher, lift you higher." It's pure, synth-laden joy. "You are alive in us / Nothing can take your place / You are all we need / Your love has set us free," the chorus sings. I personally love hearing one of the worship leaders yelling, "Everybody dance!" This is truly celebration.
The songwriting in "Wake" is reminiscent of UNITED's early days, with simple rhymes and verses, fueled by teenage and young adult passion—and a healthy dose of techno riffs in the style of Cascada or And Then There Were None. It's awesome that the Church finally has some dance party music with some worshipful lyrics, such as: "You will never fade away / Tour love is here to stay / By my side all my life / Shining through me every day!"
While the blips, beeps and heavy synth padding continue, the vibe heads in a different direction starting with "Lifeline," an impassioned love song thanking Jesus for His rescue. "Over the horizon is where I look beyond / You're the silver lining breaking through the storm / Jesus you're all I want!" rings a phenomenal, pure female vocal. At the end of the song, simple pad carries the singer as she sings, "And oh, You are my hope / Jesus forever / You forgiven my failures / You are my hope, You never let go."
This begins a deep reverent portion of the album, which more closely aligns with UNITED and Hillsong LIVE—and that's a good thing. What Hillsong has been good at since the beginning is a deep sense of tender praise to Jesus.
Track five, "Close," sounds like it could've been pulled from UNITED's latest album, Zion—musically feeling at home with "Love is War" and "Nothing Like Your Love." A tenor vocal offers, "I want to be close to you / There's nothing in this world that compares to all you are."
Tribal sounding drums announce various attributes of God's love in the bridge of "Love Goes On," as the powerful vocals announce, "Love unfailing, never shaken / Hope awakens in You." This song could easily be a Hillsong LIVE or UNITED song, but the bright electronic elements certainly set it apart as a Young & Free original.
One of the most unique and poetic songs of We Are Young and Free is "Gracious Tempest," a beautiful ballad that compares Christ's love like a storm and waves: "A downpour of unending grace / Consuming all my reckless ways / My sins submerged, your love has saved my soul / Your love is like a storm." A simple electric piano accompanies the vocalist; there are no drums or drum machines here.
"End of Days" goes for the full 1980s sound, with siren-like synths providing a riff up front. This mid-tempo song, which talks about God's invasion into humanity, is very congregation friendly, with easy-to-learn melodies in the verses and chorus. It contains one of my favorite lines on the album: "You authored life and wrote Yourself in / You dwelt in time that You designed / Creator lived in His creation / Completely man completely God." The song ends with a soundtrack-like chant of "oh" at the end that's quite moving.
It's been a while since we partied, so Young & Free eases us back into it with the soothing dance beat and vocals of "Back to Life." Again following the theme of being rescued, this song could easily be ratcheted up to full-dance mode, or toned down into more of a ballad. Young & Free takes the middle road as they sing, "In the night / Through the struggle, through the trial / You have made my burden light / You have brought me back to life again." The amazing vocalist from "Brighter" (and "Wake"?) is back on this one.
All you Justin Timberlake fans out there, don't get too excited by the song title, "In Sync." This is all about aligning our hearts to God's heart. Another mid-tempo dance number, there are a lot of lyrics to this song, but they roll out in a rhythmically interesting and exciting way. "My heart beats to your rhythm now / my lifesong an eternal sound," declares the first verse.
The final two tracks, "Embers" and "Sinking Deep," are piano-driven ballads of praise that mostly steer clear of the synths, as if perhaps to leave listeners with the simplicity of the message that they're trying to convey. On "Embers," that message is that the Holy Spirit has ignited, and continues to ignite, a fire in the hearts of those who love Jesus. On "Sinking Deep," it's the message that the love of God removes fear and shows us what really matters in life.
We Are Young and Free closes out the album with three studio versions of their songs "Alive," "Wake" and "Back to Life." While these studio versions allow the digital instrumentation to fully breathe and resound, they lack the overall energy of the live recordings, and frankly, the vocals are stronger on the live versions—with the exception of "Back to Life," which maintains the same level of vocal intensity. Overall, there's just something about having the live gathering that completely fuels worship music. That said, the studio versions still are nice to have included.
Closing Thoughts:
Hillsong Young & Free has stood upon a pretty fantastic foundation laid by Hillsong LIVE and Hillsong UNITED, while still injecting something new into worship music. The band has filled a passionate, youthful void left ever since the UNITED team, well, grew up. The synth arrangements are on par with the best pop groups of our day, with a message that far exceeds theirs.
Kudos to Hillsong Church for trusting their young worship leaders and songwriters with this project. The choruses written here are accessible and singable, yet profound in their innocence. It's a good day when you can pogo praise one moment, and enter tender moments of reverent worship the next. Young & Free leads both sides of the worship experience with an authority beyond their years.
Here's hoping that Young & Free continues to make music that reaches the next generation!
MarcusHathcock_NRT's Music and Book Reviews 
