NEW MUSIC
CROSS POINT WORSHIP Never Stop Singing darkness . The instrumental turn arounds and overall chord structure are fun to listen to here as there is even a bass solo in the middle of this little ditty . already been done in songs like “ Raise A Hallelujah ” and although there is nothing new lyrically here , this is still a moving and energetic opener .
“ In Him ” finds its lyrical foundation in Acts 17 as Leann expounds on what it means to be completely immersed in the love and grace of Jesus . The title track ends the album with an exquisite piano outro as we hear about the many ways that our God lifts us up by His grace .
Higher and Higher is not your typical modern worship album . These are musically difficult songs written by people with big musical brains and hearts deeply rooted in scripture . Leann is real and relatable as a worship leader . It ’ s almost as if she just hopped up on stage from the audience and was like , “ Hey , I have a couple of worship tunes I wrote and want to share with you guys tonight , cool ?” Her personality alone makes her easy to listen to and to connect with . Leann ’ s vocals are spot on throughout and her worshipful spirit and sweet personality are on full display .
Higher and Higher is a musically creative album with lots of unexpected twists and turns which kept me curious what chord the band was going to play next . Conversely , this also had me a little lost at times because some of the songs were almost too musically artistic . Some of the melodies were difficult to pick up which made a few of the songs hard to follow and sing along with . Lyrically , these are scripturally deep songs that are poetically written and overall , I appreciated the heart , artistry and work that went into the production of this album .
1 . Never Stop Singing 2 . You Are 3 . Even More 4 . Heaven Is On the Way
Cross Point Worship , near Nashville , is a collective of nearly 400 volunteer musicians , vocalists and song writers led by worship leaders , Cheryl Stark and Mike Grayson . Their 2021 EP , Never Stop Singing , features four new songs whose thematic center points the worshiper to the evidence of God ’ s faithfulness that surrounds us while encouraging us that His love never fails and that He is always near .
Cross Point finds their musical stride alongside such modern worship artists like Elevation , Vertical Worship and Hillsong Y & F with lots of pop styling and electronic instrumentation . These four songs are congregationally friendly and could easily be adapted by most worship teams .
“ Never Stop Singing ” jumps out of the gate dynamically as worship leader , Stefan Cashwell declares the power that exists in the praises of God ’ s people . Even though this idea has
“ You Are ” announces the depth and width of God ’ s goodness while “ Even More ” serves as the highlight of the EP . This hope laced ballad teaches that what we see and experience in this life is nothing compared to what is in store for us as we anticipate eternity with Jesus . Cheryl Stark knocks it out of the park vocally reminding this reviewer of a young Natalie Grant as she passionately cries out ; “ Lord take us deeper , Lord take us farther , give us the faith to step out on the water ”.
“ Heaven Is On the Way ” wraps up the four song EP appropriately with hopeful anticipation as Mike Grayson reminders us that God has been faithful throughout history and our future is secure no matter what this world may bring .
This little EP had a few nice moments and the writing throughout is solid , but I wouldn ’ t say this collection of songs had a lot that was new and fresh . I loved the vocals on this album and the keyboard work here is really great , but would like to see Cross Point dig a little deeper into Biblical and spiritual truths as a few of their key song phrases have been already done more than once .
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