It is not often that I get excited about a new album from an artist I am not familiar with.
Brothers Gabriel and Nathan Finochio, better known as The Royal Royal have just released their album Return of the King. The album is like a breath of fresh air and has the potential to provide your church with several songs that will play heavily in your rotation.
For starters the album is a cross of several genres, at times it is dance pop and others it has a sweet singer songwriter feel. There are 80’s inspired synths and riffs that make you smile, but what will catch your ear are lyrics that are so pure and filled with the Word. All in all this is a wonderful album of praise, I encourage you to take a listen and learn the songs.
Here is my breakdown of standout tracks on the album:
The Light // The opening track sets the tone to this album. It has themes of entering in to the Lords presence and becoming new within His light. I see this song working on many levels, youth group, college group, even a Sunday morning service.
Every Little Bit Of Praise // This song may not fit in most sets, but the theme and joy in the praise in fantastic. I could see this in some form of media or possibly used as an intentional upbeat pop driven song to get your church moving. It is the type of song that could be reworked from an instrumentation stand point to be more accessible.
Real Strength // A powerful song of praise. To me this song is all about the chorus into the outro. It is a repetitive chant of worship. I can envision this being a sweet open worship type song. Lots of space to encourage voices singing together.
Great // In keeping with the theme of genre hopping this blues/rock driven song is very strong in its message. A song focused on singing how great God is. From a musical side, your team would have a blast with this and I can envision a church shouting the bridge out loudly.
Shine // A song of longing and honest prayer. The bridge is very pure and repetitive. Maybe not a Sunday morning song, but could easily fit into a prayer/worship night or small group setting. A really beautiful song with a chorus that sings, “You are the light that shines on me”.
Again, do not be scared off by the heavy pop laden melodies and arrangements. In my opinion this album is all about the purity of the lyrics. So many songwriters(myself included) get caught up in over complicating what we are trying to express in a worship song. This is a wonderful example and reminder of how simple lyrics are often the most powerful.
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