NOWHEARTHIS
New Releases
PASSION WORTHY OF YOUR NAME
Ho hum, another year, another dome filled with 55,000 college students in love with Jesus and worshipping alongside such leaders as Kristian Stanfill, Brett Younker, Melodie Malone, Chris Tomlin, Crowder, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels and Hillsong UNITED. This is the foundation for the latest Passion live worship album entitled, Worthy Of Your Name, whose menu offers 11 new songs( 2 studio versions on the deluxe album) that are once again sure to find plenty of air time and whose songs will be sung in churches around the world. Of course, this reviewer’ s sarcasm about the“ ho hum” of such an incredible yearly event should be obvious since there is really no other gathering in the world that has given the church more songs than the Passion Movement. The biggest difference between Worthy Of Your Name and previous Passion albums is that there seems to be a passing of the torch as Chris Tomlin is only featured on one track and Christy Nockles is nowhere to be found. Kristian Stanfill now seems to be the face of the passion movement as he sings lead on a majority of the tracks. Bellarive frontman, Sean Curran takes over the lead on the poetic title track,“ Worthy of Your Name,” which is a rich theological anthem that gives fresh vocabulary to the glory of Christ. Legendary worship leader Matt Redman sparkles with an edgy and fervent tone as he
sings the celebratory Easter anthem,“ Your
Cross Changes Everything.” Melodie Malone once again gives a stunning vocal performance as she draws us into God’ s throne room on the pensive ballad“ Holy Ground.” Of course, no Passion album is complete without a Chris Tomlin sighting, and this year was no different, even though he is only featured on one track.“ God Of Calvary” was previously released on his Never Lose Sight album in 2016 and is featured here as well, albeit not as flashy and memorable this time around. Crowder’ s lone track,“ Forgiven” is a standout lyrically as it puts the spotlight on how our sinfulness was what nailed Jesus to the cross, and yet we are the ones who receive His amazing grace.
Worthy Of Your Name is a big album, yet it is also quite predictable. The instrumentation and arrangements are pretty much on par for what Passion has been doing for years, and most Passion fans will appreciate that because let’ s face it, if it ain’ t broke, don’ t fix it. Other than a slight changing of the guard and a bit better writing, this is a decent, if not obvious, collection of songs that worship teams can draw from for their Sunday morning gatherings.
KARI JOBE THE GARDEN
Our world seems to be growing increasingly turbulent as the church and the notion of God get pushed further and further from the center of Culture. Amongst the chaos, Christians around the world are wondering where God is in all this. Dove award winning worship leader Kari Jobe’ s latest release, The
Garden, does a masterful job of answering these tough questions by pointing people in despair to the rest and peace that only Christ can offer, while reminding us that eternity with Him awaits. The title track leads the album off in delicate style as Jobe’ s signature vocal is surrounded beautifully by an ethereal orchestra as she sings of God’ s unending desire for an intimate relationship with His people. Based on Chronicles 7,“ Heal Our Land” calls for repentance and a heart-felt cry to God to restore the broken relationship between man and God.“ Oh the Power” is a stunning musical exposition about the redemptive power of Christ that begins in the Garden of Gethsemane and takes us to the foot of the cross.“ The Cause of Christ” is a declarative song of both faith and action that I absolutely loved because Jobe not only declares boldy what she believes, but also sings about how she’ s going to act on those beliefs and encourages us to do the same. This is a powerful song for the church that could easily find its way into your regular worship set. Kari Jobe’ s songs have always had a mystical spiritual quality unlike any other CCM artist, and this is what sets her apart from most. However, The Garden pretty much stays with this musical menu throughout, which hurt this album a bit. I also would’ ve liked to have heard at least one or two male vocals or a duet to break it up a little. That being said, The Garden is classic Kari Jobe. These are songs born out of real life experience and reliance upon God’ s love in the midst of struggle. Her quiet intensity comes across in full force throughout this album, and this collection of songs will be one that people
Featured Tracks
PASSION“ WORTHY OF YOUR NAME” |
KARI JOBE“ THE GARDEN” |
DARLENE ZSCHECH“ YOU ARE GREAT” |
AARON SHUST“ YOU REDEEM” |
GREG SYKES“ REVERSE EP” |
36 Mar � Apr 2017 WorshipMusician. com