NEW MUSIC been writing and singing as a group for more than two decades . The group has achieved great success including a Dove award for album of the year with Yes in 2019 . Their 2021 release Bigger Than Sunday features seven newly crafted songs , a medley mash up of some their aged favorites and two covers of popular worship songs including “ Way Maker ” and Bethel ’ s “ Goodness of God ”.
As for the group of originals on the album the best of the group is the honest and vulnerable “ How Saved I Am ” which speaks to those hurting or who have fallen away from Christ . The tight four-part harmonies alongside soaring violins bring hope while reminding us of our salvation in Christ .
“ He Walked Out ” gives worshipers a rhythmic and glorious picture of the resurrection of Christ with its creatively written lyrics and almost showtune instrumentation . “ Best Thing ” features a warm combination of melodious harmonies and bouncy piano as the guys declare the greatness of Christ in their lives while “ Don ’ t Miss Jesus ” is a very timely warning against division , both in society and within the church .
As far the worship cover tunes , “ Way Maker ” is led by David Sutton and although it is palatable , there is a bit loss in energy compared to Leeland ’ s version . “ Goodness of God ” is a better fit for the guys arrangement-wise and Eric Bennett ’ s throaty bass is perfect for the lead here . The exchange of a chorus of “ God Is So Good ” for Bethel ’ s big bridge section was a good choice based on their style .
Fans of the Southern Gospel genre will love this album even if it is a bit of a step down from the award-winning Yes collection of 2019 . The songs are well-written for the most part and delivered with passion and honesty .
WE THE KINGDOM Song Focus “ God So Loved ”
It ’ s only been a little over six months since We the Kingdom released their debut album , Holy Water . Fronted by Ed Cash , his brother Scott , his daughter Fanny and son Martin and their family friend Andrew Bergthold . The group has quickly taken the worship world by storm with their strong west-coast classic rock feel blended with tight harmonies and down-toearth lyrics . Their songs are written with the local church in mind and their overall musical feel is appealing to both old and young .
Holy Water as a collection was one of my favorite albums of 2020 while garnering a 2020 Grammy nomination for album of the year . Two songs off the album have already cracked CCLI ’ s top 100 with the title track currently sitting at # 75 and “ God So Loved ” sitting at # 88 . Since the title track has already gotten so much attention , I thought I would spend a moment on my second favorite song on the album , “ God So Loved ”.
Beginning with a catchy melody and peppy intro , Ed Cash begins the song by singing of two separate intimate invitations made to us by Jesus . The first is in verse 1 where Jesus invites all the “ drink of living water ” in John 7 and then verse 2 uses the invitation by Christ for us to come as we are and sit at the banquet table . Both verses are pure Gospel , easy to sing and lead well to the chorus that built on the words on John 3:16 .
The chorus is a wonderfully written melody of celebration that has that “ stuck in my head ” quality . I find it especially notable that We the Kingdom took probably the most famous verse in the Bible and was able to weave those holy words together in a way that make great musical sense while keeping the melody singable for most Sunday pew sitters .
Verse two gets a little deeper in its explanation of who is welcome to receive the grace of Christ as we hear about acceptance for failure and addiction before being reminded that Christ waits for us with open arms at the foot of the cross . I applaud artists like We the Kingdom who are not afraid to get real with their lyrics and can go beyond the surface of what many artists sing about these days .
After a second chorus , Fannie Cash takes over the vocal lead on a slight re-working of the Doxology that does a fabulous job of putting a vertical piece of worship in a song that is a little more horizontally written .
The song ends with a few more high-energy chorus ’ with some soaring descant vocals before ending with a repeat of verse 3 to close out the song which reminds us that Jesus is waiting for us to come to him right now and just as we are .
“ God So Loved ” is really a great offering and is one I can ’ t wait to teach at my church . The song is theologically on-point , melodically strong , easy to learn and will connect the hearts and minds of your people with God in a creative and celebratory way .
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