Artist: For All Seasons
Album: For All Seasons
Release Date: July 29, 2014
Label: Reveal Worship
I’ve been a fan of For All Seasons music ever since they went by the name of Reveal while they finished college at Biola University in Southern California. I was turned onto them by a friend who graduated from Biola and runs sound at Hume Lake Christian Camps, where FAS has been the camp band for the last few years. The band is made up of husband and wife team Johnny and Emily Hamilton (drums and lead vocals/acoustic respectively), Jeff Luckey (guitar), and Randy Charlson (guitar). I was excited to hear them live and had the chance to a few weeks back when I took my high school group to Hume for summer camp. Every time they took the stage they did a fantastic job leading all the students and staff into a time of deep worship. They played many songs from their new album and they are great songs indeed. I was able to connect with the guitar players, Jeff and Randy (be sure to check out their gear rundown here) and chat about the new album. They were excited to get it into our hands so we could review it for our readers. So, let’s review the album track by track and you can see for yourselves which ones might fit your congregation. My guess is you’ll have too many to choose from. Here we go.
Made For This // The first track, leading off with a driving electric guitar riff, is a song that speaks about being created to worship God. The chorus sings “We were made for this / We were made to bring you praise / To glorify Your name” It’s a great song to lead your congregation into a time of worship.
Great God // This might just be my favorite song on the new album. It’s an upbeat energetic song that sings of the greatness of God and His love for us. It has some fun guitar work and a great bridge, lyrically and musically. The bridge sings “You are strong, strong awesome in Power / You are holy, worthy of all that we are / There’s no one beside You / None can compare to our great God!” If you want to pump up your congregation and sing the greatness of God at the same time, look no further. Check out the official FAS lyric video below.
King Forever // I had my high school band lead this song this past Sunday and they did a fantastic job after only 2 practice sessions! Why? Mostly because the song has a very simple structure, an incredibly singable melody, and is just fun to play. If you want to start leading some FAS originals at your church, I recommend you start here. The lyrics are a great reminder that Jesus is our King and He “alone is the God of redemption”. It also lends itself to being broken down to just an acoustic or a very small band and small congregational setting. As always, don’t be afraid to put your own spin on it and do what serves your people best.
Overflow // This song kicks off with a fun guitar riff and quickly leads into the first verse. It sings about God’s power and Spirit filling us up and revealing our sins to us. Once again, this track is very singable, teachable, and playable.
Only You // FAS has re-recorded this track, which first appeared on last summer’s live release, High Above It All. Attention drummers: Great beat in this song! The music is beautiful are so are they lyrics. The chorus and bridge sing, “I just want You Jesus / Only You, only You can satisfy / My heart’s desire / I will ever give all the glory to Your name / There’s no one else deserving of my praise, of my praise”
Open Eyes // Here is another song that lends itself very well to being stripped down and played just acoustic or in a small band setting. A very strong song lyrically, Open Eyes is worth considering to add to your worship set list. It speaks of the Spirit’s power to change lives and empower God’s people to live for Christ.
Back To You // Because this song is based heavily on the acoustic guitar work, this is another one that is simple to strip down. A very reflective and introspective song, this might be a good one to throw into a communion set or save for a worship night. It sings of being undeserving of God’s love yet giving Him our all and placing our trust in Him.
Broken, All // FAS picks up the tempo again here on this track. Providing an energetic background to lyrics that center on the brokenness of mankind and the power of Jesus to save. The chorus sings “We are broken, all / But we are strong / All because the God who brought the dead to life is in us” This is another track I recommend you put into rotation soon!
Rebel // As quick as the tempo goes up it comes back down again. Another GREAT song for a communion set. Rebel sings of being a rebel against God and our sin being the reason Jesus had to go to the cross on our behalf. A good song to try acoustic, try full band, or put your own spin on it. Anyway you slice it, it’s a good one.
Always // Attention all you fans of reverb and delay! Here is your time to lay down some thick atmospheric sounds on electric while you provide a background for lyrics that sing of God’s goodness that is always there.
Your Love // The last song on the album, Your Love, does not disappoint. This is a great song that speaks of God’s love and faithfulness that will always be there to pick us up when we fall.
If you have never heard of For All Seasons until now, I hope this has given you some excitement to get their newest album.
For all things For All Seasons check out their website here.
Click here to download the album on iTunes. Support this great band and buy the album today!
Don’t forget to check out our rundown of Jeff and Randy’s guitar gear they’ve been using this summer at Hume Lake! Just click here to check it out.