Bethel Music “Discover Bethel Music” Album Review

There are many albums out there that are choked with worship tunes.  What is underserved is this:  few are the records that venture to create worship moments; moments where we can bare our naked souls before God in sheer honesty and in earnest contrition.  Bethel Music serves such a lacuna with their brand of worship. When this church team leads us in worship, it is a challenge for us to keep our hands to our side; it takes extreme restraint not to sing along; and yet it certainly doesn't take much of an effort to enter into the holiest moments of worship.  Bethel Music is the worship ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, California.  Over the last four or five years, It has grown exponentially from being a local church ministry into a worldwide worship phenomenon.  Their song "Love Came Down" was featured on American Idol on their "Songs I Wish I'd Written Night," while "One Thing Remains" was nominated at last year's Dove Awards for "Song of the Year" and "Praise and Worship Song of the Year."  Their latest triumph is that their single "Chasing You" and its ensuing album "Tides" topped both the US iTunes Inspirational Singles and Album Charts last year respectively.

"Discover Bethel Music" is the church worship team's first compilation record.  As the titular suggests this is introductory foretaste into the first fruits of the church's music for those who are uninitiated. Though there are no new songs, these 16 tracks are lifted from half a dozen of their albums going back to as early as 2008's "Where You Go I Go: Live in Bethel Church in Redding, CA" to last year's "Tides."  These 16 songs also present to us a cross section of the best songs led and co-written by the church's various worship leaders including worship pastors Brian and Jenn Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, Steffany Frizell Gretzinger, Amanda Cook, Matt Stinton and William Matthews. Even right at their burgeoning stages as a worship team, they have already exuded finesse for worship that is unhurried, contemplative and challenging.  Setting the ball rolling in terms of this CD and their career of worship staples is "Where You Go I Go."  In our western culture where we are prized independence and self-sufficiency, the message of dependence on God of "Where You Go I Go" is so counter-cultural, yet it is so Biblically true and compelling.

Also lifted from their "Where You Go I Go: Live in Bethel Church in Redding, CA" is the Jenn Johnson's "O Taste and See."  With a pounding 80s soundings beat and a driving melody, Jenn Johnson incarnates each and every note of "O Taste and See" with her entire being.  Her passion is so intense that when she sings about savoring Jesus, she sings as if she would actually die of starvation if Jesus were out of her gasp.  This, my friends, is what true worship sounds like.  Jenn Johnson shows no sign of showing any restrain on last year's anthemic ballad "For the Cross." Though her hubby Brian sings the opening verse but when it is Jenn's turn to shine in the chorus, she rips the song apart with such passionate love for our Savior's finished work on the tree.  Though Jenn Johnson is the best among the female leads, Amanda Cook doesn't trail too far behind with her lighter Brooke Frazier-esque vocals on the contemplative "I Will Exalt."  Though the intro is a little on a tedious side, Steffany Frizell Gretzinger's breathy take of "Closer" is the show stealer from their 2012's "For the Sake of the World."

To offset the often high energy, bass heavy and glossily produced ballads, Brian Johnson offers an almost unplugged acoustic take of one of the best songs on Christ's incarnation "Love Came Down." One of Bethel Music's most recognizable cuts (which was also recently recorded by Phil Wickham) is the Jeremy Riddle hook-laden "This is Amazing Grace."  And not to be missed also is their career defining "Hope's Anthem" (here led by William Matthews) which has already been in heavy rotation across many churches of late.  If there's any criticism about Bethel Music, it would be that one would like to see more interaction between the various worship leaders; rather than each leader taking charge of various songs, one would like to see more integration among the team.  Nevertheless, in a nutshell "Discover Bethel Music" ensembles many of the church group's finest and most popular compositions on one disc. If you have never really own a Bethel Music CD, this is a great start to find out what the fuss is all about.       

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