Every so often a worship CD comes along that demands you take notice, and this double CD release from Israel Houghton and New Breed is one of those recordings. Recorded live at the Total Grace Christian Centre in Georgia, this was originally only intended to be a single album, but Israel was so overwhelmed with the worship on the night that he wanted to put it out in its whole, and due to that inspired decision we get over an hour and a half of upbeat worship.
Israel and New Breed have proven to be among the most popular worship leaders of our times, and their talents are displayed well on this album. The worship is gospel and R&B orientated, but as Israel sings at one point “It's not a colour thing” And it isn't, yes the music is very much in a black style, but it crosses over, in the same way many modern pop artists do. In fact, Justin Timberlake is even name checked in the thanks, as is Beyonce Knowles, who is well publicised as a Christian.
Instead of being numbered the two discs are named, with one being titled, 'Higher' and two 'Deeper'. With Higher kicking off with the infectious beat of 'Come in from the outside' inviting us all to come to worship, to come before him 'just as we are.' And the pace is set from there, the praise is very high energy on the Higher disc. 'We Win' particularly reminds me of when I was a kid and Ron Kenoly brought out new records, it is powerful and catchy, and works really well, as does 'I hear the sound'. The pace slows for a couple of minutes towards the end while a speaker speaks about being friends of God.
The Deeper disc while keeping up the passion and energy, contains other moments of more intimate worship, and you'll struggle to resist the urge to go to your knees during 'Here I am to Worship' and pour out your heart to God. I want to commend this version of the song, as so often it is performed exactly the same, but this version has different arrangements and a powerful musical style that makes it fresh. The early part of the disc is very much dedicated to the friendship we have with God, with 'Friend of God', 'Friend' and the 'Friend Medley' really spelling out the message of how important our friendship with Christ is. And like all good worship albums we end with an explosion of praise with 'Going to Another Level' one of the best tracks across both discs.
This double disc set will be a welcome addition to any worship lovers collection, it is so full of passion and energy, there's something about it that transcends genres and just brings you out to praise, it's so full of life, and must have been an amazing event live. The message and the music go hand in hand to establish it as one of the worship recordings of the year, possibly the decade. |
