Review: Loud Harp

​Rating: 4 out of 5 stars [iTunes Link]

On the ever-expanding quest to better my palette of worship music, I’ve long been seeking a band that enhances the etherial. I’m not talking about “rah-rah” songs, or powerful ballads, or deep and meaningful hymns. I’m talking about music that thrives during those meditative times of worship, where God is engaged and words seem inadequate. About a month ago, some ministry friends in Oklahoma City introduced me to the band Loud Harp. After giving their self-titled debut a number of listens, I’m pleased to find that this band fills that specific need in my worship arsenal.

Loud Harp is comprised of Asher Seevinck and Dave Wilton. Their goal is to make music that makes known the peace that “echos [in our hearts] louder than our doubts and fears,” the peace found in Christ. They’ve worked together on other projects in the past, but this project happened almost by accident. While setting out to work on another project, Seevinck and Wilton began to write songs that respond “to God’s overwhelming presence in the midst of a season of doubt.” Their hearts are certainly in the right place, but I believe their musical abilities are what set them apart from other bands.

To be honest, Loud Harp reminds me of another band that is getting some attention from both RELEVANT Magazine and Worship Leader Magazine: Young Oceans. Both seem to be offering a similar style of music, and both are of a similar quality of music. With that said, however, I would place Loud Harp slightly ahead of Young Oceans. Where Loud Harp sounds etherial and meditative, Young Oceans feels drawn out and repetitive. Nothing against Young Oceans, and this may seem like splitting hairs to some, but I believe that the slight distinction is worth making.

In short, Loud Harp is a band that engages the heart of God through earnest lyrics and thick, worshipful sounds. Their songs may not serve all of your needs in your worship service, but I do believe that they bring something distinct, fresh, and needed to the table. They are well-deserving of support, and I pray that they continue to gain traction among worship leaders.

Review: Re-Hymns

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars [iTunes link]

Hymns are often the focal point (and thus, a casualty) of the conflict between “traditional” and “contemporary” worship. Too many have, and continue to, throw out the good with the bad, as those in the “contemporary” camp reject hymns altogether. They neglect to consider, however, the importance of the songs themselves, as well as their connection to the history of the church.

Enter, Page CXVI.

The trio of Latifah Phillips, Reid Phillips, and Dann Stockton have come together for one simple reason: to make hymns known and accessible again in today’s church. The group name is a reference to page 116 of C. S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew, where Aslan sings Narnia into existence. The reference is likely designed to emphasize the timelessness of the songs the group presents, the songs that have formed the foundation of the church’s corporate worship for hundreds of years.

I simply love these guys. They have released four hymn collections, and they all follow the same general style: raw, unplugged, and simple. I highly recommend all of the projects the band offers, but I wanted to focus on their Re-Hymns album in this post. The band takes hymns and presents them in a refreshingly new way, which is fantastic on its own. This album, however, takes a fan-selected group of favorites from Page CXVI’s four hymn collections and hands them off to singer/songwriter/producer Derek Webb.

Derek Webb is one of the more talented (and controversial) artists in Christian music, and he gives these hymns just enough of his signature remix treatment. The result is a re-imagining of the re-imagined that both surprises and inspires the listener. Webb’s remixing does not take away from the talent or feel of Page CXVI, but it adds slightly more edge to their overall sound. Yet, at the same time, the electronic sound that is stereotypical to remixes in general is not overpowering. You will forget you are listening to a collection of hymns, at times, but you will also forget that you are listening to a remix album.

I hope that Page CXVI will continue to offer many releases in the near future, and I have nothing but respect for what their doing. I could have easily chosen any of their offerings to review, because they are all of the highest quality. Their collective heart certainly in the right place, and it is where many should be in the church today. Simply put, worship should transcend style and song, uniting the body of Christ in the praise of our Creator.

My Summer Vacation (Or Lack Thereof)

Finally... I'm back, and better than ever.

It's been an interesting, but ultimately great, summer for me. Very busy, with lots of changes, but the past three months have not unfolded in quite the way I thought they would. I thought that this summer would culminate in a new job for me, but alas, that did not happen. I also thought this summer would have provided an exciting opportunity to engage the ideas of this blog in a practical way, but that did not come to fruition, either. Most practically, I thought that the events of summer would not prevent me from regularly updating this blog. That certainly did not happen.

So, what did happen this summer?​

Well, some of the changes (and thus, delays) that summer afforded me were expected. For example, the content management system for this site, Squarespace, released a new version of their web service. I took this opportunity to rework the entire site, and I’m very pleased with the results. Not only is this the result of Squarespace’s new look, but it’s also because of the site’s new images (produced by my wonderful, creative friends at Jerdan Photography).

While redesigning the site, I also decided to make more demo songs. Researching the best way to do that, however, forced me to address a very important point: I don’t want to go to prison. At least for the time being, I will be posting demo songs that are not written by me. So, whatever songs I decide to post, I do not own the rights to those songs, and I must pay for the rights to post the songs. I’m not sure if I fully agree with how the rules work on such things, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully, you will see a lot more additions to the Music page of this site, and rest assured that every addition to this site will be legal.

Even though the ministry opportunities I thought the summer would offer did not come to fruition, I still got the chance to grow as a worship leader. The band that I’m currently a part of got the opportunity to work with our church’s worship choir for their summer worship concert. This was not something I initially considered to be a part of my “style,” but it was a great exercise in submission to authority, and it stretched me musically and spiritually. The choir also conformed more to my band’s “style,” so the result was quite amazing. God moved, in His power and will, so all the glory goes to Him.

In a roundabout way, this collaboration also allowed me to do what I originally set out to do this summer: begin incorporating creativity and technology into worship. And, although it did not happen the way I wanted it to happen, I now have the opportunity to push the limits of creativity in worship at my church on a semi-regular basis. You can feel it coming... the cliche just wants to reach up and smack you in the face, but the truth of the statement still cannot be ignored.

Sometimes, that’s just how God works.

Review: The Heartbeat

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars [iTunes link]

It may be for the simple reason of being from my home state of Florida, but I am really excited about this band.

I first caught wind of Orlando-based Bellarive in late 2011, while visiting another church in the Tampa area. I heard the worship leader at that church sing “Love Has Found Us,” and it felt like a breath of fresh air in the world of worship music. Or, perhaps more accurately, a genuine breath of fresh air.

That is what is most striking about Bellarive. While their sound isn’t completely earth-shattering or “new,” it is fresh, well-executed, and above all else, genuine. There is a good balance of guitars, strings, the unmistakeable sound of the Rhodes keyboard, and hints of synth backing tracks. These sounds are not foreign to music today (worship or otherwise), but while one could call them “safe,” one can also easily tell that the band places quality musicianship behind these instruments.

The depth of The Heartbeat does not end here, however. Among the album’s twelve tracks are, surprisingly, an instrumental track called “Sing.” There is a simple refrain that can be sung to this song (at the time of this writing, you can here it on the band’s website), but the refrain is absent on the album. An interesting choice, especially considering the song title, as well as the opening sequence of the song (which contains the melody of the Doxology). I love instrumental tracks, and short of the David Crowder*Band, I can’t think of many bands that produce them. Just another small breath of fresh air.

The most striking portion of the entire album, however, is contained in the song “Tendons (The Release).” About midway through the song, bassist Josh Luker inserts a poetic spoken-word section of the song that is both jarring and genuine. According to Luker, the piece came from a extremely difficult and personal time in his life, but it speaks to the ultimate deliverance we find in God. The sheer fact that the band would insert a spoken-word piece in a song is outside the norm, but to have it be a poetic statement rooted in a very personal experience of one of the band members? It’s certainly unique, and it speaks to thinking outside of the norm in the worship setting.

Yet, this album passes many “litmus tests” for me, as a worship leader. Many of the songs seem fairly accessible for corporate worship. The sound of the band is “radio-friendly” enough to be pleasing to most ears, but while still sounding slightly different than the majority of popular Christian music. Their songs have creativity and depth, but the subject of their songs (our God, and HIs Son) is also made explicitly clear. It’s a very strong first offering from this band, and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.