NEW MUSIC
“ Revival Generation” is a bold call to the Body of Christ to be world changers for Jesus no matter their circumstance or location. Co-written by Matt Redman, Ben Fielding, Jason Ingram, Brett Younker, and Ethan Hulse this powerful anthem is performed by Josh Aaron and Lindy Cofer and does a perfect job of sets the tone for the rest of the album.
The powerful piano ballad,“ The Image” tells the story of how Jesus’ faithfulness and sacrifice changed the framework of history as Matt Redman and Keistrings blend their shimmering vocals into a perfect combination.
“ Make Us One( John 17)” is my favorite song on this big album as two worship icons, Chris Tomlin and Matt Maher trade memorable melodies as they cry out to God to unify the Body of Christ through the blood of Jesus. This pop centric anthem is an instant Sunday morning classic and serves as the thematic center of the album reminding Christendom that all believers are called by God to be unified through Jesus together.
Tasha Cobb’ s“ Spirit and Bride” is a celebratory song of joy as her commanding vocals proudly proclaim the return of Jesus to rescue His people on the last day.
I really appreciated the four non-english songs that were included in this collection as well because they serve as a strong reminder that our God is bigger than one country. Our God is the Lord of every nation, tribe and tongue and these songs remind us of the global mission that He has called us to, to announce and demonstrate the Gospel in every language. Some of the songs toward the end tended to run together and be a bit lengthy but the combination of these worship legends, well-written songs wrapped around a very large purpose makes this one of my favorite albums of the year so far.
SEU WORSHIP Songs We’ ve Been Meaning To Release
1. You Are 2. Up Close 3. Day To Day 4. Slower I Go
SEU Worship is a collective derived from the student body, faculty and alumni of Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. Their prophetic pop sound is geared toward new generation adults and accurately reflects the passionate worship life on their college campus. The collective regularly serves as worship teams for all their weekly chapels and Sunday services each week. Their latest EP, Songs We’ ve Been Meaning To Release features four newly-penned songs of honest vertical worship rooted in a pop / electronica vibe.
The little EP begins with the mid-temp opener,“ You Are”. Beginning with an ethereal electric guitar riff surrounded by house beats and funky bass lines, worship leader Kenzie Walker’ s angelic alto leads the listener on a detailed explanation of all the incredible things that our God is to us. I am not exactly sure how this song plays out in a live congregational setting but I am sure with a little vision and forethought, this could be a very cool worship anthem.
“ Up Close” follows with upright piano chording and an underlying keyboard loop as Chelsa Plank calls for believers to get close to their Lord through prayer and the reading of His word. Plank’ s airy soprano soars into the stratosphere as she lovingly declares;“ It’ s my joy to take the time, every day of my whole life to say and mean these words, I love you”
“ Day To Day” is a feast for the ears with its with electronic bleeps, drum machine loops, electronic
violins and reversed vocal tracks as Sydney James brings the vocal energy to a track that encourages believers to bring honest praise to our God in every situation.
The EP ends with“ Slower I Go” which reminds believers to regularly slow down so we can listen to the voice of God and really take in His grace and love each and every day because He longs to spend time with us. I especially appreciate the poignant line worship leader Chelsea Plank sings a few times during this track;“ The slower I go, the faster I arrive” which is a powerful reminder that when we are intentional about digging into God’ s word and spending quality time with our Creator, it is then that we really see the heart of Jesus.
SEU Worship has done a nice job of remaining true to the style and genre that works for their regular worship gatherings on their college campus. The writing on these tracks in actually pretty solid and it is obvious that they have poured their hearts both lyrically and instrumentally into these songs. I am not a fan of the title of this EP as it just kind of hit me the wrong way making it seem like these tracks were just not really that important or they didn’ t have enough money to release them. Whatever the case, the title takes the focus off of Jesus and puts it on something else. That being said, there are some good songs here and I would be interested to see how congregationally friendly these are and how they play out on their campus.
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
18 April 2025 Subscribe for Free...