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• Michael W. Smith: A New Hallelujah, Reunion For his third worship album, Smith chose Joel Osteen’s church in Houston to record this live album – along with 12,000 worshippers. The album is not only large in scale, thanks to a 250-voice choir, but also has a global feel – with guest vocals provided by the African Children’s Choir (‘When I Think of You’), Israel Houghton (‘Help is on the Way’) and the incredible young Latin worship leader Coalo Zamorano (‘I Surrender All’). Smith offers a perfect balance of favourite modern worship songs (like Hillsong’s ‘Shout Unto God’ and ‘Mighty to Save’), along with ‘Majesty’ by delirious? and Chris Tomlin’s newly arranged ‘Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone).’ The inclusion of new original material also makes for a more personal reflection of worship, as heard on ‘Deep in Love with You’ and ‘The River is Rising.’ • Mary Mary: The Sound, Columbia This Grammy winning sister duo is back, with their highly anticipated fifth album. Their R&B/Gospel CD has something for everyone: the dance/club first single ‘Get Up’; 70s throwbacks ‘I’m Runnin’’ and ‘Forgiven’; the smooth R&B of ‘Seattle’ and ‘Dirt’; and the traditional gospel ballad ‘It Will All Be Worth It.’ But the most impressive thing is their exhortation to be a light, as reflected in these lyrics: “You don’t seem to have a problem [when] my language is profane / But you’re offended and insulted when I say ‘in Jesus’ name’ / Still I close my eyes and bow my head and fall to my knees / Cause my conviction is much stronger than my need to please.” |
• Rush of Fools: Wonder of the World, Midas/EMI The most-played song on Christian radio in 2007 was ‘Undo,’ from Rush of Fools’ debut. Now, 16 months after that album, this Alabama-based band has released Wonder of the World – which offers up modern worship that will certainly be embraced by fans of delirious?, MercyMe and Starfield. This album is full of worshipful, radio-friendly songs like ‘You are Glory,’ ‘Holy One,’ ‘The Only Thing that’s Beautiful in Me’ and the title track. The concert-ready rock anthem ‘Lose it All,’ shows us that these guys can turn it up a notch; it was just disappointing that this is the only time they really rock out. • David Phelps: The Voice, Word/Curb/ Warner Although former Gaither Vocal Band member David Phelps is, hands down, one of the best vocalists in Christian music, his latest solo effort does not have a lot to offer. Going the route of so many of his mainstream counterparts by releasing an album of ‘standards,’ he covers secular classics, from Foreigner’s ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ and Sarah McLachlan’s ‘Angel’ to the Righteous Brothers’ ‘Unchained Melody.’ The songs, though well performed and produced by Monroe Jones, lack any real feeling and conviction. There are only three originals here, with the standout being the self-penned ‘I Just Call You Mine.’ As Phelps has come into his own as a song-writer on past efforts, this album seems like a step backwards. davidphelps.com
• WOW Hits 2009, EMI It’s hard to know how much longer this franchise will survive, offering multi-artist collections of the year’s best songs – when so many people use iTunes to create their own playlists. But for those looking for a broad cross-section of Christian music, no one does it better than WOW. Because of the timing of the release, many of the songs, although great, seem ‘so 2008’ – as with ‘Everything Glorious’ (David Crowder) and ‘Every Man’ (Casting Crowns). But the inclusion of songs that are currently hits make this a well-rounded snapshot of the best Christian music had to offer in 2008 and into the first quarter of 2009. wowhits.com February 2009 | ||||||
By Kevin Pollard
