Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day! To celebrate, Rend Collective has released their new studio album, The Art of Celebration. A collection of songs that follow up on the success of their live album Campfire and their previous albums Homemade Worship By Handmade People and Organic Family Hymnal.
The album consists of 11 new tracks ready for your ministry to enjoy and share with your church. There is also a live track of the first single “My Lighthouse” and a remix of the song “Joy”. Like their previous releases, Rend Collective strives to write music for the church to sing. This is very clear with this album; each song has a place in a worship setting.
Here is a look at the songs from the album, track by track:
Joy // “You’re the joy, joy, joy, light of my soul” Can you see your church singing this? I can! If “Build Your Kingdom” was in your rotation, I think this will compliment it. The song is, well, full of joy.
Burn Like A Star // One of the few songs I don’t see as a congregation song. The lyrics are great and theme is strong, great for use in media or played pre/post service.
My Lighthouse // I heard this last year at the NWLC when Rend let us in morning worship. I have been excited for this song to be released ever since. This song carries a great theme and speaks on a very personal level and communication to God. Check out the live version too, it can give you some good ideas on how to lead the song.
More Than Conquerors // This song is heavy on the Irish folk, which can be a struggle for some worship teams. I like the song and think it has a place in either a stripped down acoustic set or possibly reworking to make it more accessible. Of course, if you are like me, you will want to keep the folk aspect and rock it out!
All That I Am // A nice acoustic laced song, very much a singer/songwriter type style. Great for a small group, there is a lot that can be done within the structure of it. One idea is to open up the last line, “all that I am, for all You are”
Immeasurably More // I really like this song. The idea of singing, “You are more than we can imagine” is a powerful statement. The song is not very traditional in its arrangement, and can easily be skipped over. I encourage you to listen to the song and see if it can work for you and your team.
Finally Free // Another song perfect for a small group, acoustic set, or played over media. The song builds over an acoustic guitar that leads into a fully orchestrated piece with sweet harmonies. It has a heavy drive around the halfway point that turns into a celebratory sing along at the end.
Create In Me // This has the potential of being a powerful song in the church. The lyrics repeat over the line, “Create in me a clean, clean heart. Create in me a work of art. Create in me a miracle, something real and something beautiful.” The song builds over this line. As a worship leader I love when a song can build over one line and turn into a declaration. With “Create in Me”, the declaration is singing, “Your not finished with me yet”. I can see this speaking to people as they sing those words.
Strength of My Heart // This track is heavily orchestrated in the intro, but turns into a sweet song behind the strings. I’d like to see this song live, to see how it could fit in a worship set. I imagine it would work well with a worship band.
Simplicity // One of the slower songs on the album. This is an acoustic track that calls out for a prayerful time of worship. I would love to see how this responds in a congregation. It carries a beautiful melody and lyric.
Boldly I Approach (The Art of Celebration) // I gave this song several listens prior to writing about it. It is my opinion that this is the heaviest song of the album, both musically and lyrically. I see this being a step forward for the band; it carries the weight of becoming a worship anthem.
What I love about this band is that they are worship leaders who happen to be in a band. The band will tell you that they are not a band, but rather a family. A family that creates together, praises together, and in some cases creates instruments together (Google a Jingling Johnny). If you are unfamiliar with the Rend Collective story, check out their website www.rendcollective.com. On the site they post lead sheets, lyrics, and other resources to help your ministry.
