NEW MUSIC
WE THE KINGDOM “ Jesus Does ” - Song Spotlight the beloved hymn , “ Holy , Holy , Holy ”. The reworked “ Place to Land ” is probably the most unlike the original as gone are the electric keyboards , gated vocal reverb and delayed guitars . The result is much more personal and congregationally friendly . Wonderful acoustic fingerpicking is the backdrop for “ Psalm 116 ( I Love You Lord )” which finds the duo thanking the Lord for his redemptive work and one of the duo ’ s best songs “ Behold ” is thankfully reimagined as a more decidedly contemplative reflection of how Christ welcomes those who are seen as undesirable .
I really enjoyed that laid-back nature of these re-imagined songs . I felt myself relaxing in the promises of God and the saving power of His promises as I listened and sang along . Mission House made these powerfully written tracks useable for a lot of worship teams and churches by practicing the “ less is more ” approach and we are thankful for it .
There is no doubt that we are seeing a move from pop / rock musical vibe of the past 10 years of worship music to more of a southern rock feel as artists like Brandon Lake , Zach Williams and Anne Wilson are taking more of a prominent role in the popularity of the modern worship song . Songs like “ Graves Into Gardens ”, “ No Longer Slaves ” and “ Goodness of God ” have replaced the over-produced pads and ethereal guitars by taking over the airwaves with slide guitars , fiddles and upright pianos . Worship music is going through a shift in musical genre , instrumentation and song structure and it is a welcome change .
We the Kingdom is one of the artists leading this charge with their down-home brand of worship grown through years together as a musical family . Their latest single , “ Jesus Does ” begins simply enough with a southern gospel choir , B3 organ and upright piano as long-time worship leader , Ed Cash begins the first verse by asking a poignant question ; “ Who tells the sun to rise every morning , colors the sky with shades of his glory , wakes us with mercy and love ? Jesus does ”.
The B3 organ roars and the drums kick in on the chorus as Franni Rae lends her vocal prowess in a magical duet proclaiming all the ways that Christ saves us from who we used to be because , yes you guessed it , that is what Jesus does .
Verse 2 explores the understanding that our God has of us and how He knew that we were
going to need to be saved and forgiven and so He planned to show humanity the depth of His love . The “ oooh ’ s ” of the Gospel choir give a warmth and sincerity that just make you want to worship along and tap your foot as they confidently declare that only Jesus has the power to save .
After the 2nd chorus , the bridge builds to a powerful crescendo proclaiming the faithfulness and unchanging nature of the heart of God before ending with 2 chorus ’ back-to-back .
This song is welcoming , easy to sing and will stick firmly in your heart and mind long after the track has ended . The message of proclaiming God ’ s identity brings light to a darkening world and is something we all need to be singing repeatedly during these times of religious upheaval and political unrest . The arrangement is blue collar and will connect with people from every generation and walk of life . A message written and delivered for the people . Sounds like that ’ s what Jesus does to me .
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
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