Who would have known that American Idol 2007 champion Jordin Sparks started off as a backup vocalist for MWS?
A few years ago Michael W. Smith brought a 15 year-old background singer on stage as a featured vocalist on one of his Christmas tours. That singer was the future American Idol champion, Jordin Sparks. Jordin shares in this video about the impact of her mentor, Michael W. Smith, and the importance of mentors in peoples lives.
Michael continues to stay in touch with Jordin and is humbled by this video that we had know (sic) idea was being created... watch the video and think about those in your life that look up to you. Sometimes you never know when someone is considering you their mentor and learning by watching how you live your life. (from michaelwsmith.com)
Here's the video, with a special cameo from Kevin Jonas:
I wish they had interviewed MWS in the video though... that would have been nice, and would have given a Grammy-winning CCM pioneer his well-deserved day in the sun.
Nonetheless, it's heartening to know that a mainstream singer is not afraid to quote a Christian artist as a main influence. Go Jordin!
Listening to Charlie Hall has always seemed to me a little bit like eating pufferfish at a Japanese restaurant - an acquired taste that may or may not go well with everyone who tries it (although I haven't yet heard of anyone poisoned to death from listening to Charlie Hall).
His lyrics and melodies have always tended towards obscurity (seriously, who sings songs about being found between Porch and Altar?), and his very unique (being politically correct here) voice and singing style have left quite a lot of listeners (myself included) out in the cold.
So it was with great trepidation that I opened my copy of The Rising and popped it in my CD player.
And I found, to my surprise, that it was a lot more listenable than I thought it would be.
There are still lyrics that made me do a double-take (We are rising / In Your rising - from the title track Rising; and Come illuminate the face that brings the healing / Comd illuminate the truth that brings the freeing - from Breathe), and some melodies and arrangements still need some getting used to, but the album as a whole has a pleasant electro-pop-rock feel that doesn't grate on the ears.
I do think that some of the songs could sound better if arranged differently, and I'm still making myself get used to Hall's voice.
But for a start, at least I'm not averse to re-listening to the album for my full review.
For a change, I'm going to leave this open-ended until I've given the album a couple more listens. Who knows? Perhaps I'll turn into a die-hard Charlie Hall fan by the end of the week.
I can't say the same for pufferfish though.
Here're two tracks from the album for your kind perusal please - the title track Rising (A Song of Ascent) and the slightly-maudlin Deeper In Love:
Let us know what you think! Charlie fans - no hate mail please, I have a fragile heart.
This is the second year that VFC's youth ministry (TheEDGE) is organizing the international youth conference - last year's conference saw over 400 young people registered as delegates and close to 800 youths attending the night rallies every night!
We're SUPER excited this year because my personal hero (well, one of them at least) Pastor Jude Fouquier (Facebook | Twitter) will be preaching, together with the very gifted Henry Seeley (Facebook | Twitter) of Planetshakers fame! Of course, the youth pastor of VFC, Pastor Jeremy Seaward (Facebook | Twitter) will be there too to lay down the Word!
We'll be giving up-to-date coverage of what's going on at the conference via Facebook and Twitter, so make sure you're following us! We'll also do our best to bring you exclusive interviews with the three key speakers! So keep coming back during the conference for updates!
My initial impressions for Chris Tomlin's And If Our God Is For Us... can be summarized as such:
And If Our God Is For Us... > Hello Love
but
And If Our God Is For Us... < See The Morning < Arriving
That's not to say that AIOGIFU (sorry, album title too long) isn't a great album. It is. But at first listen, it doesn't quite reach the heights that Tomlin's earlier albums attained (less Hello Love, which I really had zero emotional attachment to).
AI (sorry, acronym too long) is a hodgepodge of downright brilliant songs like the opening track Our God (the title of the album is the first line of the bridge) - which was also performed on the 'live' Passion album Awakening - and pleasant but somewhat ho-hum tunes like Lovely.
If you liked Our God on the Passion album you'll love it here. Tomlin has given it the full choir + strings treatment, and it comes off sounding way grander than I could ever have imagined.
There's a superb duet with Christy Nockels - Faithful - and a song that smells like an instant classic to me - All To Us (it might just be the next How Great Is Our God, a song that's sung to death because it's so widely loved. Kinda like getting smothered to death by a hug.)
However, the one song that I couldn't get out of my head for days after I heard the album was the very pop-rock I Will Follow, replete with drum loops and falsetto vocal riffs (think One Republic).
The album closer is Awakening, which was the title track of the Passion album. I was mildly disappointed here because this song had such excellent potential to be the hugest, baddest, meanest final track on the album had it been given the Our God treatment. Sadly, no soaring strings = no super last song. It's still nice, but I kinda think the Passion version sounds nicer because it had 30,000 people singing along.
As is requisite for any Chris Tomlin album, there are a handful of upbeat numbers on AI. Same thing, I don't think they're bad, in fact they're pretty good, but just not great. No Chains On Me is a declaration of freedom, but it doesn't quite compare to insta-classics like Your Grace Is Enough (on Arriving) or the awesome Let God Arise (on See The Morning).
I shall be critical for now and give A (too lazy to type 2 letters!):
Stay tuned for my final review! In the meantime, here's the super super super super super version of Our God:
Here at illuminated, we get really excited when we get fan mail! Actually, we get really excited when we get any type of mail. Because it gets reaaaaaaally quiet out here.
So we're pleased to reproduce in full, this fan mail/album review hybrid for Audrey Assad's The House You're Building from Ian Wu! (NB: All views expressed are Ian's, as are all typos and grammar errors. But we love Ian anyway! LOL!)
Having a male artist dominated playlist on my ipod, it was with a little apprehension that i decided to get this debut! Oh boy what a good choice i made!
The thing that struck me about this album was that it was essentially very very, simple. No flashy guitar solos, flowery synth effects (not that i have anything against those), but instead assad's voice was the star. It's a kind of album that you'll listen to on a rainy day, or well maybe just late at night with some warm lights and a cup of coffee.
So, I choose to believe, as i carry this cross, You'll carry me. Simple truths melodically spun into lyrics, what could be better? If i had to liken Audrey to any other artiste, he would be Jimmy Needham. Not so much for her musicality, but for her straight up, simple yet powerful lyrics, just like Jimmy's.
Folks this album is a must get! Kudos to elvin here for providing us all with a point of reference before purchasing any album, and of course theGLOW where i get all my albums from!
In His Love,
Ian
Keep the mail coming people! You can email us at illuminated.ee@gmail.com or just leave a comment after every post (look for a link that usually says 0 Comments - sad face).
We're working on getting illuminated onto Twitter so you guys can get updates even more regularly! PLUS we'll have a Twitter bar on the site so you can air your thoughts and discuss reviews with other fans at the same time! How cool is that!
And it could very well be their hardest rockin' album to date.
Driving guitars, infectious drum beats, and the hypnotic Southern twang that is Mac Powell come together in a powerful package that's sure to get you out of your chair and onto your feet (or at the very least, you'll be tapping your feet or bobbing your head in time).
Third Day has a knack for pairing the simplest, most straightforward lyrics with insanely catchy melodies that are easy to enjoy and sing along to.
Here's my hypothesis as to why Third Day songs are so easily recognizable and singable: Third Day song titles appear at least twice in the chorus of the named song.
I shall now attempt to prove my hypothesis, by copying out the chorus of the tracks in the album, followed by the name of the song.
#1: Lift up your face Lift up your face
Salvation is coming
Salvation is coming
(Lift Up Your Face)
#2:
Well, you've got love and I've got time
Won't you make a move before I change my mind
And I want to believe it's true
I'm listening close
Won't you make your move now
(Make Your Move)
#3: Children of God, sing your song and rejoice
For the love that He has given us all Children of God, by the blood of His Son
We have been redeemed and we can be called Children of God, Children of God
(Children of God)
#4:
You better give up, gotta stop running
It's the end of line, it's time to surrender
Hands up, turn it around
Fall to the ground, are you gonna surrender
(Surrender)
#5: Trust in Jesus
My great deliverer, my strong defender, the Son of God
I trust in Jesus
Blessed Redeemer, My Lord forever, the holy One
(Trust in Jesus)
#6:
Where love like a river flows
Peace like you've never known
And joy never ending lives
A place where faith can find
Hope that will never die Follow me there
Come on follow me there
(Follow Me There)
#7:
Well I'm gone
It was nice to meet you
But I'm gone
Sure gonna miss you
But I gotta keep moving on
Can't stay in one place too long
Say a prayer for me I'm gone
(Gone)
#8: What have you got to lose What have you got to lose
And tell me why you're so afraid What have you got to lose What have you got to lose
Think of all you have to gain
(What Have You Got To Lose)
#9:
When you're down and you're falling fast
And you feel like your hope won't last
You know that I'll be your miracle
When you find that your faith is gone
You're not sure if you can carry on
You know that I'll be your miracle
(I'll Be Your Miracle)
#10: Everywhere You go I wanna go
Will You take me with You
Everywhere You lead I wanna be by Your side
Everyone You love I wanna love
Just like You love me Everywhere You go I wanna go there with You
(Everywhere You Go)
#11:
Sing Your song to me
Oh there's no greater thing
Than to listen to the sound of Your voice
When I hear Your song
I wanna sing along
And listen to the sound of Your voice
The sound of Your voice
(Sound of Your Voice)
#12:
Don't give up faith Don't give up hope
There's always something better
Waiting around the corner
Don't give up now
Please don't let go
What can feel like the ending
Could just be the beginning Don't give up hope
(Don't Give Up Hope)
Gentle readers, hypothesis is 100% proven.
And here's the thing, I decided to do this experiment on a whim, so I didn't cheat and read through all the lyrics before typing them all out!
Therein lies the mass appeal of Third Day - simple lyrics that speak straight to the heart, catchy melodies that stay in your head long after you've turned off your iPod or CD player, and the awesomeness of Mac Powell's pipes all add up to create a sound that is distinctly them.
And this album is Third Day at their very best.
Their brand of Southern rock may not appeal to everyone, but I'm going to hazard a guess that listening to this album will make you change your mind.
And for once, a Christian music video that doesn't make me cringe! Check out the official video for the opening number, Lift Up Your Face. It might take you a while to get the meaning behind the story (I had to watch it twice before I did), but once you do, it's beautiful.
And here's another of my favourite tracks from the album, the amazing Children of God:
What do you think? Is this Third Day's strongest album to date? Is the 'two titles in the chorus' a Third Day phenomenon or does it apply across all artists? Let us know what you think! Leave a comment!
Can you believe it? It's been 15 years since Flood and Liquid (some of you weren't even born yet) revolutionized the Christian Rock genre and proved to the world that you didn't have to sell out to attain mainstream success (although the guys did draw their fair share of controversy in the early years amongst conservative circles).
With The Shelter, Jars of Clay delivers an album that is every bit as revolutionary as the original Jars of Clay was 15 years ago, whilst staying true to their acoustic-rock roots.
There are collaboration albums, and then there are collaboration albums. The Shelter sits firmly in the latter category. There are plenty of albums and songs out there that feature artists writing and performing together, but most of those never progress beyond being artistic collaborations.
On the other hand, Dan Haseltine's idea of getting other artists to buy-in to the concept of 'Shelter' and then perform on Jars-written tracks (instead of contributing to the creative process) is just sheer genius - creating an album that just oozes the very essence of community and mutual support.
The concept is nothing less than abstract but somehow, Jars of Clay and their guest artists manage to turn the abstract into something tangible, something that we are all familiar with and can relate to.
Perhaps the best way to understand what I'm trying to say here (words are failing me miserably right now) is to sample some of the tracks from the album.
We Will Follow - featuring Gungor:
The title track Shelter - featuring Brandon Heath, Audrey Assad and TobyMac:
Lay It Down - featuring David Crowder and Dawn Michele:
So here's my final verdict:
Here's the 'downside': if you're not a Jars of Clay fan, it might take some listening to get used to this album.
But once you do, it's likely that the songs and their message will stay with you for quite a while.
How many of you out there are old enough to remember such Jars of Clay classics as Flood, Liquid, Love Song for a Saviour and Needful Hands? Leave a comment and tell me so I feel better knowing that I'm not the only oldie out here!
In my initial impressions for Audrey Assad's The House You're Building, I said that:
"...this album sounds like a debut album should - carefully crafted, meticulously recorded and presented as a labour of love."
Having listened to it incessantly over the past week or so (mostly because I couldn't help myself - I just find myself scrolling through my iPod and landing on this album), I think I'm totally, completely, utterly spoilt.
Every other debut album had better be as good as this.
Assad's voice is an amazing instrument in its own right - bringing clarity and brilliance to beautifully written words and music. Never overbearing, never underwhelming - her voice imbues every lyric with just the right amount of strength and emotion to capture your heart and your imagination.
The genre of the music makes for comfortable and easy listening, but the lyrics will tickle your intellect and bring you on a journey of sights, sounds and colours:
I love you more than a slow-falling Summer rain
More than a silence that only the snow leaves behind
I love you more
And I love you better than the grey of the Autumn air
Better than spring in its blooming against the sky
I love you more
It may not be as red as the roses yet
It may not be as strong as the old oak trees, but
Love planted deeply becomes what it ought to be
(Ought To Be)
This may sound trite, but I can't think of any song on the album I love more than another on the album because (here it comes) I love them all equally.
Audrey Assad is one of those artists that show up every once in a while and make you go wow.
The House You're Building is one of those albums that show up every once in a while and make you go wow.
So it's not going to be surprising that the album gets:
This perfect album is worth every dollar and cent spent. My only worry now is, how can Assad top this for her next album?
Here are 2 tracks from the album for your listening pleasure (go buy the album already!) - the title track The House You're Building and the album closer, Show Me.
What do you think about Assad's debut album? Is it great or does it fall shy of your expectations? Let us know, leave a comment!
You know it's not good sign when you're listening to an album and then you find yourself skipping tracks.
Unfortunately, that's what I ended up doing quite a bit on this, Jeremy Camp's We Cry Out.
As I mentioned in my initial impressions, this album ends up being, by turns, both bland and engaging.
The bland bits are songs like Mighty to Save, Everlasting God and Overcome - covers of originals that just don't work for me. There are just so many other better versions and covers of these tracks out there that somehow, it feels to me like Camp's just including these songs in the album because he likes them.
There's nothing really wrong with that, I suppose. But the arrangements aren't superb, and to some extent I feel that he tries a bit too hard to infuse a worshipful atmosphere into them, like he does at the end of Mighty to Save.
Not all his covers are sub-par though. I liked his take on Matt Redman's You Never Let Go and Tim Hughes' Jesus Saves.
However, the real standout tracks on the album are the ones he penned himself, like the congregation-friendly You Are The Lord and the final two tracks, Unrestrained and King Jesus - tracks which show that a good worship song is naturally worshipful, you don't have to do anything to make it more so.
So here's my final verdict:
Jeremy Camp's We Cry Out is not a bad album - if for some reason you've never heard some of the covers before, you'd probably give this album a higher rating.
However, for those of us who have, he doesn't quite reach the height or depth that previous artists have set for these songs, which is disappointing, given that he writes great songs which are both worshipful and relevant.
I shall end this review off on a brighter note - take a listen to one of the better tracks, the mid-album You Are The Lord.
Think this album deserved better? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Here at illuminated, we get really excited about new music and new artists. Granted, Josh Wilson isn't really new - he released 2 albums on an independent label in 2004 and 2006 before releasing another 4 under the established Sparrow Records label from 2008 to 2010.
However, his lucky break came on 3 Jan 2010. While waiting out security delays at Newark Liberty International Airport, Josh decided to entertain his fellow passengers so he took out his guitar and started playing the Beatles' Hey Jude while the crowd sang along.
Someone took a video of it, posted it on youtube and the rest, as they say, is history:
Here's a track from his 2008 album Trying to Fit the Ocean in a Cup, the brilliantly written song Saviour Please:
His amazing musicianship coupled with honest, straightforward lyrics make him an artist to watch!
Here's hoping that our friends at theGlow will bring in some of his music, because right now, we're really loving us some Josh Wilson!
Third Day's brand of Southern/Gopel Rock lives on in Move, their latest album.
Expressed mathematically, I would think that:
Southern/Gospel Rock =
Songs in Mostly Minor Keys
+ Driving Distorted Guitars
+ Sudden Lapses Into Half-time Beats
+ Generic But Still Uplifting Lyrics
+ Occasional Banjos/Wurlitzers
+ Harmonica Solo
+ Black Choir
+ Mac Powell's Gravelly Voice™.
The last part of the formula is especially important for any third Day record. Sung by anyone else, most of the tracks would probably come across lame and/or cheesy.
But the deep, rich tenor of Mac Powell's voice carries the album and makes it compulsively listenable.
Here's a sample track from the album, the uptempo Gone:
But the song that I really really like on this album is this one - a classic Third Day power ballad called What Have You Got To Lose:
Unless you have something against Third Day or Mac Powell's voice gives you an allergy, there really is no reason to dislike this album.
But is it a great album? I'll withold judgement and comment on that until I post my final review of the album. In the meantime, here's a great Third Day staple to put a smile on your face (for those of us old enough to remember).
Jars Of Clay's latest project, The Shelter, is, at first listen, an intimate offering that doesn't stray far from their classic guitar-driven roots.
What makes it stand out is its message, and the myriad artists who contribute on the album.
Quoting from the CD sleeve:
This album is inspired by the old Irish words, "In the shelter of each other, the people live." These songs are meant to celebrate and inspire small communities of people to care for one another and embody the love, peace and hope promised by God and found in the life of Jesus."
A veritable list of Christian music's luminaries (both past, present and ancient) sing along on every track except one:
Brandon Heath,
Audrey Assad (yay!),
Gungor (or The Artist Formerly Known as Michael Gungor),
Mac Powell (of Third Day fame),
Derek Webb,
David Crowder (thankfully, not in his Church Music mode),
Matt Maher (there he is again!),
Sara Groves,
Amy Grant (still singing!)
and Burlap to Cashmere (remember these guys?!).
What I really like about this album, besides the fact that the songs are well-written (In the shadow of the cross where my first love died / In the valley where we learn how to climb so high / Will You open my heart and reach inside / Till the blood on Your hands is Yours, not mine - from the track We Will Follow) is that the inclusion of the guest artists in each song never feels egregious and overbearing, neither do they sound as if they were thrown in as an afterthought. They form a natural, integral part of the record - indeed, the message of The Shelter would be lost if they had not participated in the process and the product.
This is an album that's easy to listen to and enjoy. While I work on the final verdict for The Shelter, check out this video of Dan Haseltine talking a bit about the idea behind the record and what Jars of Clay want to achieve with it.
And here's a video of the powerful opening song, Small Rebellions.
