NEW MUSIC
KRISTENE DIMARCO
Song Spotlight “ Death Is Hollow ” Verse 2 tells us how the proof of his payment for us shows itself though the scars on His hands and feet as He meets with us in ‘ our upper room ’. I absolutely loved the visual image of Jesus appearing before us in our moments of despair and anguish ( our upper room ) to remind us of His unending love . 6:51-59 as Jesus is the living bread coming down from heaven for us . Overflowing with groovy bass lines , punchy Rhodes piano and southern slide guitar licks , this track was my favorite on the EP . The collective also creatively works in a verse of “ I Have Decided To Follow Jesus ” at the end of the track which fits absolutely perfectly .
The title track follows and is a bit lighter in energy as Leslie Jordan shines with her southern alto drawl singing confidently about how Jesus is all we ever need and that we always have a home with Him . The acoustic guitars and light brushes on the snare drum give this song warmth and depth .
“ Oh Freedom ” wraps up the little EP as worship legend , Paul Baloche joins Leslie Jordan and Sarah Kroger in this simple yet peppy Americana chorus that will have you tapping your feet and singing along in no time .
I really appreciated the intergenerational and multi-racial make up of artists on these five tracks . The songs were simple enough for most worship teams to emulate and different enough in style , structure and arrangement to make every track stand out in some special way . Well done Anchor Hymns .
Kristene DiMarco is well known both as a solo artist and as one of the worship leaders at Bethel . Her out-of-the-box version of “ It Is Well ” released back in 2015 put her on the worship map and is a song sung in churches across the globe . She is also recognized for her hope-filled anthems , “ Take Courage ” and “ Break Every Chain ” and has released 3 full length worship albums alongside a number of singles and EP ’ s along the way .
Her latest single , “ Death Is Hollow ” is a powerful and personal declaration of Christ ’ s ultimate victory over sin and death and how this one act defined the future of every person who claims Jesus as Lord and Savior .
The studio version begins with a haunting cello and violin trio before the first verse where DiMarco ’ s stirring alto brings us to the Easter victory that Jesus won for us . Yet her approach to this oft sung about event turns creative when instead of just singing about the resurrection , we are reminded that our sorrow and aching were put to death on that third day .
The chorus declares that through the death and resurrection of Christ , we have been brought close to God now that the veil has been torn . The death we once feared has been removed through Christ ’ s sacrifice . This chorus reminds us that the sin that separated us from God has been paid for and now we have direct access to the Father .
Chorus 2 follows with a slight uptick in musical energy as the violins and cello ’ s swell and DiMarco sings with warm authenticity before all is stripped back the climatic bridge section .
The bridge goes into great lyrical detail about how every last drop of fear and power were ‘ ripped out of death ’ and how as he hung with his arms stretched wide , he was covering every bit of us . The poetic acumen she writes with here as she describes the unseen power of the crucifixion is sheer genius and I loved experiencing every word .
The last part of the song points us to our future as DiMarco passionately declares : “ One day , face to face we ’ ll see with our eyes what once took faith , We ’ re gonna touch Heaven , we ’ re gonna touch Heaven .” It is the perfect book-end to this creative look at the story of the cross
I wouldn ’ t say “ Death Is Hollow ” is the easiest melody to pick up and I could see this being used as more of a performance piece ( especially the studio version ) rather than a congregationally friendly song , but it would be amazing for a Good Friday or Easter Service . The lyrical imagery , strings and strong vocal performance from Kristene DiMarco make this song a cut above the rest for this reviewer .
Gerod Bass Worship leader in Tacoma , WA . Mentor with Worship Catalyst . Singer , songwriter , guitarist with a passion for impacting lives for the sake of the Gospel . www . oslc . com
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