Vineyard Worship‘s release, ‘O Holy Night’ is a festive acoustic celebration of Advent & Christmas for 2022. Vineyard favorites Samuel Lane (Vineyard Worship UK), Tina Colón Williams (Vineyard Soul), and Ryan Delmore (Roots Worship) lend their powerful and unique voices to this reflective collection of both traditional and original songs. From beloved classics like ‘O Holy Night’, ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Humble King,’ to the most recently penned Christmas offering ‘A Great Light’, written by Vineyard Worship legend Ryan Delmore, ‘O Holy Night’ is a wonderful addition to your Christmas rotation.
Despite our news feeds and the noise swirling around us, Vineyard Worship’s latest release, Sacred Space, captures the soundtrack of the Vineyard and Integrity creative community and chronicles a faithful worship journey through this ever-changing landscape of the world around us. I was pleased that the first song sounded so good. ‘You Don’t Have to Lose Heart’ is a bit of a throwback to the 60/70’s sound of The Stone Ponies. Some nice, jangling, guitars and the lovely vocals of Daena Jay made this a great album opener. ‘Thin Place’ has a similar feel. This time, it’s Ryan Delmore and Taylor Leonhardt sharing the vocals on a song of worship. I found ‘You Have Our Yes’ to be a bit of a dirge, while ‘Heaven’s Work’ and ‘You Are God’ reminded me Yolanda Adams type gospel. Things get a bit ‘samey’ mid-album, with ‘Expectation’ getting thumbs down from me for its messy production. Following that, comes some gentle, relaxing worship. Spacious sounds (much like Salt of the Sound) are only interrupted sporadically by ethereal vocals. The last three tracks are live versions of earlier songs, but I didn’t feel that they really added much to the finished album. On second listen, I still got a feeling that this collection is quite a mixed bag, both in style and song quality. Hence, 6/10.
Worship collective Village Lights comprised of the multi-ethnic, passionate and inviting trio, Sarah Kroger, Ricky Vazquez, and Ike Ndolo, introduce their debut album ‘Kingdom’! The band was inspired by the traditional liturgical feast ‘Christ the King of the Universe’ which was historically implemented in the church at a time of rising tide of nationalism around the world. The feast was a way to reunite God’s people around the idea that our allegiances lie with Christ our King; and in reflection Village Lights gathered a group of incredible songwriters and artists, old and new friends, from a diverse array of places in the church. ‘Kingdom’expands on the grandeur and simultaneous humble and sacrificial love of Christ’s kingship. Each song is based on the Scriptures surrounding that feast day, making it an immersive sonic, artistic and theological experience! “Collaborating with so many different people to describe what Christ’s kingship means to each and every one of us as a church community is a beautiful representation of who Village Lights is,” the band comments. The majesty that is inherently woven throughout ‘Kingdom’ because of that starting place and focus of “Christ the King,” is reflected musically throughout the record with soaring melodies, depth of lyrics, and a choir of voices. Stunning music videos shot in Sedona, AZ also very intentionally bring a visual element to remind and showcase the beauty and greatness of God, with the hope of bringing listeners along on the journey that Village Lights felt shooting those videos: when surrounded by God’s creation, one can’t help but sing and worship the King of the universe!
The pandemic put us all in a challenging but necessary space of stepping away from worshipping in the same room for the health and safety of our loved ones… but in late August, REVERE were finally able to bring people together in the same room to write, create, and worship! As always, when REVERE gather, new songs emerge among more familiar ones; totally unscripted. These moments in worship are a collaborative effort from everyone in the room. ‘Unscripted: Ancient of Days’ is a collection of songs that bring hope and joy, with songs such as ‘Be Glorified’, but it will also bring us back to a place of centring on the holiness of God with tracks like ‘Alpha and Omega’ and ‘Worthy Of It All’.
We’ll probably all agree that ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ is an iconic, upbeat Christmas song, but Brian Eichelberger from The Sing Team had been longing to put his own spin on it for a while, “I’ve always wanted to do a version of the song that feels the way the lyric sounds… longing, yearning, missing the comfort of loved ones,” he says. Singer-songwriter John Mark McMillan lends his powerful vocals to this slow take on ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, telling the story in a new way and providing some cathartic nostalgia to this Christmas season. The Sing Team address the overwhelming feelings brought by the social and commercial expectations of this time of year and encourage us to remember the precious advent season as a time of spiritual renewal and intentional pursuit of the voice of Christ in our midst. “For the believer, Christ’s spirit and presence is always with and in us, yet we often find ourselves distracted enough to not receive the gifts of grace freely and generously offered to us,” Brian adds. ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ is for the earnest, overwhelmed, and hurting, in need of a reminder that God’s presence is a source of true peace.
Vineyard Worship’s latest release, ‘Adore Him’ is a fresh celebration of Advent and Christmas for 2021. Vineyard Worship favorite Tina Colón Williams (Vineyard Soul) lends her powerful voice to several tracks including ‘Angels We Have Heard On High/Glory To God,’ a festive, re-imagined Christmas classic with an energizing new bridge, sparking hearts to worship and celebrate this sacred and joyful season. From beloved classics like ‘Silent Night,’ to the freshly penned Christmas offering ‘A Great Light,’ written by Vineyard Worship legend, Ryan Delmore, festive EP ‘Adore Him’ is a wonderful addition to your Christmas rotation.
Based in Hope UC Nashville (part of the global network of churches whose senior pastors are Mark and Darlene Zschech,) Here Be Lions introduce Still God, Still Good, an album that not only talks about but demonstrates the faithfulness of God. The many songs build a canvas of reflective and engaging worship that helps centre our focus on the truth of the album’s title, that God is endlessly sovereign over all and eternal in his goodness. Still God, Still Good is an awaited release unifying the church in a melody of thanksgiving and enduring faith.
It can sometimes feel like we’re waiting for a deep, inner longing to be fulfilled for a lifetime, and the journey seems to lead us everywhere but there. In those seasons, we need to remind ourselves of the truth, and that is what FAITHFUL set out to do with new song ‘The Detour.’ Recognising that we can tend to stifle the true desires of our hearts for fear of risk or disappointment, FAITHFUL speak of the kindness and love of God to be present with us, maybe never more viscerally, than in our in-betweens and moments of pain and loss. ‘The Detour’ leads us back to knowing that the greatest gift God can give us is his presence in those moments. Sometimes the circuitous route is not, not the plan.
‘Thin Place’, the newest release from Vineyard Worship, draws from the Celtic Christian notion of a particular place being “thin” where Heaven and Earth seem to meet… where God just seems to be more accessible. Featuring poignant and transcendent vocal performances by Vineyard favourite Ryan Delmore and Taylor Leonhardt from Mission House, ‘Thin Place’ perfectly expresses the heart and spirit of this rich theological idea carrying the listener into the presence of God. Truly a ‘Thin Place.’
Swiss worship collective ICF Worship release new single ‘In My Midnight’. As singer Tamara Fontijn lay wide awake, head spinning with thoughts one night, she recalled the story of Paul and Silas being in a similar state and praising God while in prison. “It was such an intimate moment and a huge gift to realise how God can use anything – even a night of broken sleep – and turn it into a blessing,” she explains. ‘In My Midnight’ is a call to worship God without an agenda, regardless of our circumstances, bringing light into our midnights.
Gospel ballad ‘Still Everything’ is Benita Jones’ personal testimony about the last five years as she overcame the anguish that accompanies the end of a nearly 20-year marriage, leaving her ministry job and raising teenage daughters as a single mom. Through it all, Benita Jones found God to be her comfort and security. The soul-wrenching ‘Still Everything’ hails from Jones’ The Entreating live album session that was recorded live at the Riverside EpiCenter in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
Never for Nothing 