NEW MUSIC
NOW HEAR THIS | Gerod Bass
BENJAMIN WILLIAM HASTINGS Sold Out , Sincerely
1 . Jesus On a Cruise 2 . Abandoned 3 . All That I Am 4 . What a Friend 5 . Set Me On Fire 6 . Still You 7 . Afar 8 . Still See You In It 9 . If It Wasn ’ t For Jesus 10 . Bali 11 . I Can ’ t Thank You Enough 12 . Time To Move On
Benjamin William Hastings may not be the most well-known worship artist , but I can almost guarantee you or your congregation have sung a least a few of his well known worship anthems such as “ So Will I ( 100 Billion X )”, “ O Praise the Name ( Anastasis )” or any number of other cowrites the former member of Hillsong United has had his creative hand in .
His sophomore solo release , Sold Out , Sincerely arrives two years after his debut album got a lot of airplay and notice around the worship music world . Hastings writing shines throughout this album with his gritty lyrical prowess that claws deep beneath the surface of shallow faith to things more personal and deep that we all deal with but are far too often afraid to get real about . Sold Out , Sincerely deals with themes other ”
worship ” albums are afraid to address . Themes like abuse , doubt , abandonment , loss of time and loneliness help bring the listener to the realization that only through the saving power of Jesus , can we truly fill the hole that lives in each of us . These are not songs for the average “ happy-go-lucky with Jesus ” church service . These tracks were born out of hard experiences and real-life situations that force the listener to look inward and remember who we belong to .
The best-known track of the collection , “ Abandoned ” was co-written with Brandon Lake , who seems to be on every album and in every worship video on YouTube these days . The song begins with a rhythmic acoustic guitar and strings as the two blend vocals explaining how unbelievable Christ ’ s sacrifice was for us and that our response should be nothing less than complete abandon because that was what He did for us .
“ What a Friend ” is another favorite of mine from this collection that features the silky vocals of Aodan King . Almost Celtic in nature , this song features mandolins , acoustic guitars and a string section as King and Hastings trade vocal verses about how the goodness of God has transformed their lives . The song is full of melodic hooks and memorable melodies and will be a Sunday morning favorite for years to come .
“ I Can ’ t Thank You Enough ” would be perfect for a Thanksgiving service and “ Still You ” is a transparent look into Hastings heart for Jesus as he praises the work of the Creator .
Songs like “ Set Me On Fire ”, “ Bali ”, “ Time To Move On ” and “ Jesus On a Cruise ” are more performance pieces rather than communal worship tracks but all are very creative , well written and more on the “ indie / artsy ” side showing the true imagination of Hastings musical gift .
There are some really great songs on this album that could and should find a place in your personal or corporate worship context . Hastings ’ vulnerable and raw writing mixed with some unique arrangements keep this album moving along well as he avoids the all-to-familiar cookie cutter formula that so many worship albums seem to hold to these days .
LIFE CHURCH Stones of Remembrance
1 . Look What The Lord Has Done 2 . House Of The Lord 3 . Wait On The Lord 4 . Jesus Loves Me 5 . None Like Jehovah
Branford , UK based Life Church ’ s newest EP entitled , Stones of Remembrance is a vibrant collection of five new songs born out of the excitement of what God has done to build their church within their community . Life Church ’ s community has seen quite a bit of cultural change in the past few years and these changes are also finding their way into their worship writing and arranging as the collective seeks to make their worship music more global through different instruments and even languages .
The EP kicks off with the peppy and energetic pop opener , “ Look At What The Lord Has Done ” which extols the faithfulness of Christ shown by what He has and continues to do in our lives .
18 December 2024 Subscribe for Free ...