Chris Sligh and his team at his church have put out a great album of original music, with a live recording to come. We’re all about getting new music into rotation at your church so here’s my worship rundown of this album! Be sure to check the songs out here. Here are my thoughts on the songs:
Strength in Us // There’s a dance feel to this one that is hard to put to words. I think it’s a really accessible pumping song as opposed to some of the stuff that’s out there now. If your church hasn’t gotten completely on the Young and Free bandwagon, this might just be your point of entry. The chant is a lot of fun too. Thematically, the song sings to the strength we have in Christ through faith.
Never Let Us Go // Quick aside, I absolutely love that the second song on the album features two other worship leaders. Let this be an example as you’re working on projects and sets at your church. It really isn’t about any single person in worship ministry and the most fruit will come from discipleship. To the song, the chorus is really easy to catch on to and sings to how God will always be with us during our times of difficulty. I dig the balance of both verses with the first singing of desperation and the second remembering God’s faithfulness.
Power and Glory // Psalm 29:2 tells us: “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.” Power and Glory does just that in song. It’s important to have songs in our regular rotation that are purely about giving glory to God rather than talking about what He does for us.
Wanna Know // Another synth driven song with a great hook. The chorus has a cool dual part for a male and female lead so make sure your leaders are ready for it (and that your sound guy pays close attention to balancing the two parts).
Call Upon // Really catchy melody and a lot of fun synth and guitar going on in this one. If the arrangement sounds too complex, don’t be afraid to work it up on your own. This one could be scaled back to an acoustic version if you don’t have everything you need to play it as it’s recorded.
Spirit Breathe // The opening piano provides a lot of space to just worship. I love how the music reflects the lyrics which are asking for the Holy Spirit to move among His people. It really builds up toward the end. I could see starting with really subdued lighting and atmosphere to start that opens up at the end. The guitar joins in with the piano riff, so make sure you give your team time to work on it.
No One Greater // Romans 8:38-39 tell us
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
No One Greater brings this verse in a fresh melody that’s easy to catch on to. It’s so important for the people in our churches to realize that they can come to God exactly as they are. No matter what they’ve done through the week or how far away form God they feel, He’s right there ready to meet them. Don’t miss the chance to help your congregation sing that truth through song.
Good // Despite what may be going on in our lives, we can rest on the truth that God is a good God and that He’s for us. Simply titled “Good,” this song moves to a place of adoration for God for everything He is. God is good regardless of what is happening in our lives and He’s worthy of our praise.
No Love // Wow! I really love this one! The riffs, synth, and vibe are a bunch of fun….seriously, I’m going to be introducing this one soon at my church. I also really like the use of vocal effects and tuning during the verses, it really goes well with the pulsing synth.
Carry the Kingdom // Another female led ballad that’s also pretty accessible for your team and congregation. There’s a great piano riff in the middle so make sure you give your keys player some time to work on it if they’re usually tasked with playing pads. Lyrically, this one sings of the fact that no matter where we go we are on mission to spread God’s kingdom. He’s with us everywhere we go.
Holy Spirit, You Are Here // I get a 10,000 reasons vibe from this one in that it’s full of fantastic theological depth. The message of Romans 8:38-39 is heard again through the lyrics. The people in our church can get so caught up in life that they can forget that the living God is present in their lives through the promise of the Holy Spirit. The bridge distills the message down to simply singing that the Holy Spirit is in us and with us.
Sixty-One // This one sings from Psalm 61 about Christ our Cornerstone as the rock that is higher than everything in our own lives. I’m a big fan of music that reaching deeply into scripture and this one has an easy to sing melody that your church will learn quickly.
Free Indeed // I dig the chorus which sings of the freedoms we have in Christ and what our response should be. If you’re in a church that doesn’t lift their hands that much, use a song like this to teach them. There’s something about singing out “we lift our hands” that gives freedom to those who wouldn’t otherwise lift there hands. This is pretty much a guaranteed participation booster for your church. Go for it.
Forever & Ever, Amen // A new take on the Lord’s prayer that caps this album in a great way. I love the acoustic guitar work throughout as well as the piano that joins in. If your guitar and keys players can’t hang with the music yet, this one is still easy to simplify and sing out.
Overall, this is a fantastic album of songs that are written for the church. I’m really looking forward to hearing the live album that will be coming out soon!