Various Artists “iWorship Now/Next 2014” Album Review

The church is the home of the no-cut audition.  Just like with our biological families where we don't get to choose our siblings or our parents, we don't get to choose our fellow church members.  Once when we have decided to join a church, we have been given a part to play to make living with this family work.  And this entails the fact that we have to rub shoulders with people of variegated talents, tastes, traditions and experiences.  Often one area of heated contention is in the area of corporate worship.  Often rackets would be raised when church members feel like their musical tastes or preferences are not represented in the worship repertoire.  This is where Integrity Music's latest release "iWorship Now/Next 2014" is of such great resource to the church.  Gathering 15 of the best worship songs from Darlene Zschech, All Sons and Daughters, Paul Baloche, Rend Collective among others, these paeans exhibit a tapestry of the various styles of worship music that could serve as the panacea of our worship wars.

The most rewarding element about "iWorship Now/Next 2014" is that there's something for everyone.  If your appetite leans towards stadium-filling servings of drums sounds and those big-infectious guitar hooks, then Planetshakers' "The Anthem" is a delicious treat.  Though the title is never cited in song's lyrics, it captures the heart of the Gospel in such transparent perspicuity that it ought to be our anthem for our Christian lives.  Speaking about the great themes of Scripture, New Life Worship's "Jesus Reigns" is a crescendo building power pop exalting the resurrection of Jesus that is perfect for congregational worship.  Considering the recent bout Hillsong matriarch Darlene Zschech has had been having with breast cancer, "In Jesus' Name," a song that calls upon our promises we have in Jesus, is particularly touching.  "In Jesus' Name" is delivered with so much power that it literally trashes the devil and shakes the heavens.  Originally found on Zschech's recent release "Revealing Jesus," this is the abridged version where it is truncated from the original 10 minutes to a tad over 5 minutes.

However, if you are one of those who think that less is more.  And if you do not want your worship to be caught in a traffic jam of electric guitars and drums, you would definitely be enamored by All Sons and Daughters "Great Are You Lord."  Thriving on its simplicity of its understated backings, this unalloyed sounding ballad righty places the focus on the beauty of our Lord.  Amongst the newer worship teams, Rent Collective certainly has left their mark with their acoustic camp-fire styled worship.  "You Are My Vision," is a contemporary take of the church hymn "Be Thou My Vision" with all the "thees" and "thous" eradicated.  Those who appreciate the amalgamation of some traditional elements of worship into our contemporary songs would have a field day with Jennie Lee Riddle's (featuring Jonathan Lee) "When the Stars Burn Down."  With a tinge of country-esque romanticism, this Riddle and Lee composition weaves in some hymnic touches into it.

Tweeted by Darlene Zschech as one of her favorite worship tunes, Martin Smith's "God's Great Dance Floor" is on the league of its own. Starting off slowly before Smith turns this tune about second chances into a Brit pop rhythmic dance track, "God's Great Dance Floor" is bound to get us dancing for the Lord.  Charged with a high voltage of heavenly power is Dustin Smith's "You Are the Fire."  You can feel the heat of God's consuming fire as we sing along with Smith: "You're all consuming, You can't be contained/Never relenting, changing everything/You are the love that overwhelms my heart/You are the fire lighting up the dark."  In sum, "iWorship Now/Next 2014" enables us to appreciate how vast and boundless worship music can be in both its lyrical and stylistic forms. This CD is indeed a must have for those who seek to lead worship in church.   

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