Jars of Clay: The Shelter, Essential
The latest effort from these Grammy/Dove award winning veterans is focused on community. So for this album, they invited friends to join them in both writing and performing folk, acoustic and rock songs. The results are intimate, profound and original.
The Shelter features appearances from 15 fellow artists, including: Brandon Heath, Third Day’s Mac Powell, Amy Grant, Sara Groves, and Mike Donehey of Tenth Avenue North.
Highlights here include ‘Out of My Hands,’ about letting God be God; ‘Small Rebellions,’ about random acts of kindness and living out our faith; mid-tempo rocker ‘Eyes Wide Open’; and the anthemic title track, where Dan Hasletine sings: “The tears aren’t ours alone, let them fall into the hands that hold us.”
delirious? Farewell Show, Survivor/Furious
There have been many great live albums and greatest hit projects from delirious? over their 17 years as a band. But this Blu-ray release, recorded live in London, is probably their best. It is an emotional journey through the band’s catalogue of music, captured at their final concert.
It is like a trip down memory lane for the modern worship movement, as they perform live renditions of ‘Happy Song,’ ‘Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble,’ ‘Thank You for Saving Me’ and ‘Shout to the North.’
Highlights include the return of original drummer Stew Smith for a drum duet on ‘Investigate’; and the high octane versions of ‘Rain Down,’ ‘Deeper’ and ‘Solid Rock.’
The album concludes with all of the Delirious family – wives and children included – gathered onstage for the final bow, making the whole experience feel intimate and personal. But the true gem to be found here is in the extras: the acoustic worship ‘Cutting Edge Show.’
WOW Hits 2011, EMI/Sony/Word
Featuring 30 songs on two CDs, this compilation marks the 16th two-disc release in the platinum-selling series that compiles the best songs from today’s top Christian artists.
This time around features Casting Crowns’ ‘Until The Whole World Hears’; TobyMac’s ‘Get Back Up’; Third Day’s ‘Born Again’; Amy Grant’s ‘Better than a Hallelujah’; and Steven Curtis Chapman’s ‘Heaven is the Face.’
These veterans appear alongside several talented newcomers. The highlights include Francesca Battistelli’s ‘Beautiful Beautiful’; Tenth Avenue North’s ‘Healing Begins’; Needtobreathe’s ‘Lay ‘em Down’; Brandon Heath’s ‘Love Never Fails’; and Matthew West’s ‘My Own Little World.’
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound: A Tribute to The Cathedral Quartet, Gaither
This high energy and spirited southern gospel quartet go back to their roots to cover songs from the Cathedrals – the group that first inspired them to sing.
It’s fitting that this group, which has helped to break down the traditional walls of their genre, would choose to honour the music of this legendary quartet.
Although they stay true to the melodies and harmonies that made these songs great, they offer them up with some dixieland, mariachi, a cappella and good ol’ gospel renditions. Highlights on this 21-song disk include ‘Wedding Music,’ ‘This Ole House/When the Saints Go Marching In’ and ‘Oh, What a Saviour.’