Worship Musician February 2020 | Page 66

NEW MUSIC SELECTIVE HEARING | Robert Berman TOBYMAC VARIOUS ARTISTS listening, but more importantly they provide an 21 Years (single) Simple Hymns (4 albums) important resource for church musicians looking both for material and for realistic arrangements that don’t require stratospheric vocals or huge ensembles. RUSTY SHIPP Liquid Exorcist We don’t usually cover singles in this column. Popular music has always careened between How much can there be to say about one high-octane music that sounds really cool song? In this case, plenty. Truett McKeehan had (Mozart’s Requiem, Queen, Phil Keaggy, Coldplay) been a part of the Christian music scene since and music that’s within the grasp of amateur he appeared as “Tru Dog” on his father Toby’s performers (Charles Wesley hymns, Bob Dylan, albums in the early 2001, offering precocious The Ramones, White Stripes, Ed Sheeran). And rap interludes between his father’s tracks. As while most Westerners attend large churches he grew into adulthood, he was felt more than with extensive music resources to rival an Avicii heard, as the subject of concerned songs like concert, most individual churches are small, TobyMac’s “Scars.” Truett’s unexpected death with a guitar and maybe a pianist. So amidst all at home led to an outpouring of compassion the albums of worship music by and for large, toward his family, reminding entitled Christian well-tuned ensembles, it’s great to find a series music fans that some things are more important suggesting the less ambitious arrangement needs than a DC Talk reunion. Now TobyMac has of smaller churches and home groups. Steve seen immediate and enormous response to “21 Nicolle’s “Simple Hymns” series has released not Years,” a tribute to the son whose own rap career one, not two but four thematic collections within ended suddenly last October 23. TobyMac pours the last six months, each one focusing on different out his heart eloquently. “Day One left me in my elements of the worship service: Thanskgiving, bed. I can barely remember it, heart shattered Redemption, Communion, and a catch-all in a thousand ways.” He doesn’t hold back the “Worship” album for praise songs. Selections “whys” or the tears but also provides a model for range from updated classics (Wesley’s “And Can godly grieving over the tragedy that every parent It Be” and “Rejoice, the Lord is King” retuned) to fears. “God didn’t promise us a life of no pain or modern masterpieces (“How Deep the Father’s even tragic death, but He did promise He would Love for Us” is one of several included from the never leave us or forsake us,” TobyMac wrote on Keith Getty and Stuart Townend oeuvres) as well his web site. Listener response was immediate, as some new ones you probably haven’t heard with over three million streams on YouTube within before. House vocalists Katie Gustafson, Chris a week, vaulting the track to #12 worldwide on Weningar, and Anthony Skinner draw in ringers the video service’s “Trending” ranks. It’s good to from Jesus Culture, Bethel Music, Elevation as get this message out. well as CCM pros Leigh Nash, Aaron Keyes, and Derri Daugherty. This albums make great personal 66 February 2020 Rusty Shipp’s 2017 project “Mortal Ghost” was already garnering attention for the Nashville hard rock outfit. This one is briefer yet better on all counts. The tunes are more tuneful. The vocals are stronger. The energy is higher. With four original songs, one cover (Audioslave’s well-chosen “Show Me How to Live”), and five short interstitial mood pieces, Shipp ships an allegorical concept album about a redemptive minesweeper working to clear seas threatened by floating bombs from an unknown enemy. “Liquid Pendulum” describes the assembly of the threatening mines; “Detonator” dramatizes their destructive effects and “Hundred Crosses” their victims. “Breaking Waves” and a choral clip of the naval hymn “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” end on a hopeful note. Shipp leans heavily into the nautical theme to good effect, carving out a memorable niche for himself in the rock seascape. He makes himself available on a noon Facebook podcast on Wednesdays too, playing acoustic covers and originals and answering viewer questions. Check him out. Robert Berman Robert is a Sunday School teacher, music nerd, and acoustic guitar enthusiast. He lives in rural Tennessee with his wife and three boys. Subscribe for Free...