NEW MUSIC
Christ that nothing is impossible for our God .
“ 10,000 Armies ” is a raucous call to live boldly for the Gospel and to not fear the power of evil as we cling to the promises of God in all things . The dance meets rock vibe is infectious and will have you tapping your feet and grooving in your chair as you listen along .
On the contemplative end of the musical spectrum , we hear worship leader Whitney Medina bring the congregation to a place of surrender with her wispy soprano in the melodic and intimate “ Devotion ”. Along that same musical vein , Jonathan Taylor joins Melody Noel for a gorgeous duet , “ Jesus ” which proclaims the rebirth and renewal we find in Him . The mixture of his unique southern Gospel vocal style with her soft soprano makes this track stand out .
There are some really solid songs pointing believers to the infallible power of God here . Musically , the album stayed interesting and engaging throughout with its change in male to female leadership regularly mixed with some different musical arrangements . Most of the songs are well written and performed and the mix is spot on . Creatively , there really isn ’ t anything worth writing home about as it pretty much sounds like many other projects saturating the worship market these days , but there are some great songs for you and your church here .
BRANDON HEATH “ Human Nature ” - Song Spotlight
It ’ s been quite a while since we heard any new music from long-time worship leader , Brandon Heath . In fact , it ’ s been nearly five years since his last studio album . Heath has been a mainstay in the CCM worship world since 2006 when he won his first Dove award as the New Artist of the Year and he has gifted the church such worship classics as “ Our God Reigns ”, “ Give Me Your Eyes ” and “ Whole Heart ”.
His latest single , “ Human Nature ” is a peppy pop infused song whose thematic heartbeat rests in the fact that we are human and therefore far from perfect . Yet despite that fact … Jesus ’ blood covers us and we are loved by Him .
Beginning with a bouncy piano and 80 ’ s keyboard riffs , Heath begins the song with an instant thematic thought as he sings the opening line ; “ We aren ’ t God ’ s problem , we are God ’ s children ”. Right away , I was impressed how this single line speaks volumes to how non-believers see God as a judge more often than a Savior who is in love with His creation . This is an instant message to the body of Christ that people define who God is through our words and actions .
The verse continues as Heath ’ s brave tenor reminds us that although we are far from perfect , we can project the image of Christ and bring light into this dark world .
ourselves on the Word of God , which is our only truth .
The chorus features rhythmic drums and powerful synth parts as Heath lays out the lyrical idea that because Christ took on human flesh to ultimately reconcile us to Himself , He not only understands our daily struggles , but also brings hope to the world .
Verse two continues a similar lyrical thought to verse one but here he uses the idea that we are family and are all invited to sit at the table like a family at Thanksgiving … no matter who we are or what we have done . Here , he also revisits the idea that the world often sees God as an angry judge in the line ; “ God is not mad , but He is madly in love with you ”, yet He accepts you as you are .
The bridge follows chorus two and is spoken rather than sung as Heath boldly proclaims ; “ Here ' s the thing , being human means making mistakes but don ' t be mistaken , being human means you ' re worthy of love , you ' re worthy of love ”. I love this proclamation of God ’ s love and that the sacrifice of Christ makes us worthy of it .
The song ends with another chorus as we are reminded to “ just open the door ” of our hearts and let Christ rule in our lives .
I am not sure if this song really qualifies as a great congregationally friendly song as there is a lot of syncopation in some of the melody lines , but I could still see it being used in a Sunday setlist , maybe with the congregation just singing the chorus . Either way , it is great to hear new music from Brandon Heath and let ’ s hope there is a new album on the near horizon .
The pre-chorus brings the musical instrumentation back as we now only hear the piano motif and Heath ’ s voice as he tells us Christians not to listen to the world , but to focus
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