Profound, Personal Worship
Posted February 11, 2019
By CaitlinLassiter_NRT, Staff Reviewer
What You Need To Know:
When The City Harmonic came to an end in 2016, fans mourned the loss of what had been an impactful voice in the CCM/worship community. Much to their excitement though, founding member and frontman Elias Dummer is ready to carry on the spirit of worship with a voice and vibe all his own. Now stepping boldly into his solo debut, Elias releases The Work Vol. 1.
What it Sounds Like:
An album that is primarily worship-focused in content, the sound can't be contained to one specific category. Some songs are acoustic-driven and laid-back ("Enough," "Heartbeat") while others are energetic and engaging ("What Are We Waiting For?"). Elias's unique voice carries each song in a way that automatically captures the listener's attention and keeps them hanging on every word.
Spiritual Highlights:
Elias describes The Work Vol. 1 as his "wrestling with prayers [he's] needed to sing for a long time." With that in mind while listening through the album, it becomes all the more moving as Elias fills these songs with profound lyrical content while still keeping the overall tone worshipful in nature. Substance and reverence seem to be a hard balance to find these days, especially in the worship genre, but Elias tackles it here with brilliance.
Best Song on the Album:
"Enough" kicks off the album with deep theological truths from the opening lines: "I am not what I make / I am what You make me to be." Backed by its simple yet bold acoustic sound, the powerful lyrics that declare Jesus' sufficiency get their chance to shine as Elias' raspy vocal brings the song to life.
For Fans Of:
The City Harmonic, Iron Bell Music, Pat Barrett
Final Word:
The Work Vol. 1 is absolutely a worship album, but not the kind of worship we've grown to expect from that label. These songs intentionally shy away from being big and congregational–-instead, they are profound and personal, wrestling with questions of faith and offering resolve in gentle moments of reverence. Elias Dummer has crafted a one-of-a-kind debut album with The Work Vol. 1, and it will no doubt leave listeners ready to hear what creativity flows next from the now-solo artist. View All Music And Book Reviews By CaitlinLassiter_NRT | View CaitlinLassiter_NRT's Profile
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