Phil Wickham - 'The Ascension' Review

By Kim Jones Sep 27, 2013 02:57 PM EDT

(Photo : Fair Trade Services)
Phil Wickham - The Ascension

Singer/songwriter Phil Wickham has a history of writing incredible lyrics and the songs on his newest concept worship album, The Ascension continue that trend. Those lyrics mixed with truly beautiful music with drums, guitars and synths mixed in at perfect levels make this project one of his best. His focal point is Jesus and whether he's crooning a ballad or rocking a more upbeat song, Chris remains the center of attention. After four similar releases, this shouldn't be a surprise. This is a man who doesn't muddy the water to make his music more "acceptable" to the masses (translate to generic), he is reaching for God and asking us to climb that mountain with him. If you're looking for an album that will minister to your spirit, The Ascension fits the bill nicely.

Kicking off with the title track, you pick up on the fact that this album will lead you to worship while challenging you to do so more deeply than ever before rather quickly. Phil's songs have a tendency to do that so there is no real surprise there.

Even though not all of the songs are complete Wickham originals, he takes enough musical liberty to make them him own. One such song is "This is Amazing Grace" which was co-written with Jeremy Riddle and released on Bethel Live's For The Sake of the World. Wickham's satiny synth touches give his version a crisp sound that make it definitively different from its Bethel counterpart.

The Ascension closes with Phil singing "Thirst" in falsetto, which he pulls off quite well. Once you get past the shock of his singing in a higher register, you're drawn into the scene and find yourself thinking about how much you thirst for the Lord and how His love quenches like nothing else can.

While this album doesn't revolutionize worship music as we know it, it does advance the Kingdom and those who hear it will find themselves lifted up. Isn't that the point of good music? To draw you in and make you think? Phil Wickham does that on The Ascension in a big way!

GENRE: Worship
RECORD LABEL: Fair Trade Services
RELEASE DATE: September 24, 2013
TRACKS: 11

The Ascension Track List: