NEW MUSIC as Bethel , Lauren Daigle , Elevation Worship and Cody Carnes to name a few .
In the aftermath of the leadership challenges at Hillsong church , many of the artists that began their careers on the Australian campus have left to pursue other interests and Aodhán King is no different . He began writing the 13 tracks of his first solo project entitled , Beyond Us immediately following his exodus from Hillsong .
Musically , King ’ s debut is quite a departure from the youthful feel of Hillsong Young and Free . The over synthed techno beats and teenage sound of those early years have been replaced by a more adult , mainstream pop sound with subtle rock overtones . The entire album features a much more chill vibe with almost all 13 tracks on the slower , more worshipful side which may disappoint those who were hoping for a similar energy and sound from his Hillsong days .
“ Yesterday , Today & Tomorrow ” is a gorgeous ballad duet as King teams with worship artist , Griff . The two voices blend seamlessly as they passionately sing about how the love of Jesus never changes and that only He can fill every need we have .
“ What Would It Be Like ” is another wellimagined duet this time featuring former Hillsong teammate , Hannah Hobbs . The acoustic guitar work in this track is better than average as the two imagine what it would be like to stand in the presence of Jesus .
The most congregationally friendly song on the debut is the humble prayer , “ Made To Worship ” which features a simple melody sung over a balladesque piano motif about devoting oneself to living a life of worship in all things . King ’ s falsetto on the back half of this track soars into the stratosphere reminding this reviewer of a young Phil Wickham .
King ’ s vocal prowess carries this album as a few of the tracks tended to run together toward the end . I hesitate to actually dub this a worship album , as many of the songs here felt more performance oriented , but there are a few that could be adapted for a Sunday morning audience . Even though I thought this was a solid first offering , I would like to hear a few more energetic tracks and some deeper scriptural writing on future releases . I think Aodhán King has a bright future as a songwriter and he possess the ability to bless the church with some great new music with a little outside of the box thinking .
PASSION , KRISTIN STANFILL Song Spotlight - “ He Who Is To Come ”
I have always been a fan of Passion Worship . Tomlin , Giglio , Crowder , Redman , Nockles and a host of other iconic names have played a major role in the Passion movement over the past 20 years and in doing so have blessed the church with hundreds of well-loved anthems and worship filled ballads . Kristin Stanfill has now been the front man of Passion for a number of years and is widely known for such worship classics as “ Lord I Need You ”, “ Glorious Day ”, and “ King Of Glory ”
Back in 2023 , Stanfill sat down with Cody Carnes and together penned the end-of-days worship anthem , “ He Who Is To Come ” which is an incredible hope-filled song about the second coming of Jesus and is one my personal favorites to lead on Sunday mornings .
The song begins with a haunting piano and guitar motif with ethereal pads as Stanfill begins verse one pointing the listener to the certain future of Christ ’ s return that is someday coming . He ends the next verse by pointing out that the hope that we have for tomorrow is also our hope for today . The mixture of “ dark ” music and “ light ” lyrics on the first two verses immediately captured my attention .
After a short pre-chorus reminding us that our God has been and always will be , the chorus borrows images from Matthew 26 as he confidently proclaims that when Jesus comes riding on the clouds that every eye will see the nail marks in His hands .
The dark piano and guitar motif from the intro returns as a turnaround before the musical energy ramps up in verse 3 . Here , Stanfill proclaims that there is only one worthy of our honor , glory and praise and that it is our God , the lamb who was slain for us .
The 2 nd chorus follows , much bigger in energy and instrumentation before the dark instrumental motif returns for a third time leading into verse 4 .
This verse asks and answers a poignant question to the worshiper , “ He is surely coming , oh can you feel it too ? All this tension growing stronger is just a sign He ’ s getting closer . He ’ s already on the move !” These lines always give me chills when we sing them . What an incredible vision and thought for the believer to focus on !
Verse 5 sees yet another crescendo in energy while lyrically revealing the entire focus of the song as Stanfill triumphantly declares ; “ The story has been written . We all know how it ends . My future has an anchor , my eyes are on the Savior , He ’ s coming back again !”
Two more big chorus ’ follow before a quiet dwelling section at the end where he and Cody Carnes trade vocals asking for the Lord Jesus to come . It is an incredibly perfect end to a wonderfully written and delivered song of hope .
Simply put , “ He Who Is to Come ” is a great song with its scripture inspired lyrics , interesting song structure , singable melody and overall artistry . This is a song you and your congregation should be singing .
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
24 January 2025 Subscribe for Free ...