How do you feel about today's worship music (ex. Crowder, Tomlin, Hillsong United, etc.)? I mostly really like it. So do a lot of folks I know.
Of course, I have friends who would fall into the "not so much" camp. They think it all sounds alike, or seems too repetitive, or is too much about us and not enough about God. Author, activist and speaker Brian McLaren voiced some of these opinions in an open letter to worship songwriters a while back.
Guess Brian felt like it wasn't enough just to ask for something more/different out of the artists who gift us with worship music. As a musician and songwriter, he took his own challenge to heart and with some friends wrote and produced some worship songs that run from a different vein.
We sang some of these songs at the Everything Must Change Conference this weekend. They seemed fresh to me, so I picked up the cd. The recordings are even better than the live experience. They have an organic, acoustic (guitars, mandolins, harp, viola, percussion, etc.), experimental feel (incl. electronic liturgy, a canticle and a chant).
If you have been griping about the state of today's worship music, want to hear from some new voices, or just want something a little different to add to the worship music you already have (and like), give Songs For A Revolution of Hope a listen. You can hear full versions of each song, find lyrics and chord charts and purchase individual songs or the whole shebang if you so desire. My favorite songs on a disc always change over time, but right now I'm especially digging tracks 2, 8 & 10.
Feel free to share your opinion using the comments feature below.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Looking For Something A Little Different?
Posted by Fred at 12:37 PM
Labels: music, Songs For A Revolution of Hope, worship
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3 comments:
Hey Fred,
I am so glad you posted about this! I hadnt heard of the CD, so I followed your link, listened, and LOVED it. If you like that style (raw, acoustic, percussion-y), check out the "Enter the Worship Circle" CDs too.
Another thought on worship music: While I think there is GREAT value in singing worship songs written by a loud voice in "the industry", I think its also important for unique songs to rise out of our local communities of faith, based on what God is doing in our midst. How neat would it be for the artists where you are (and where I am) - musicians, lyricists, you, and me - to come together to write music, and then sing to God as community? Songs written by famous "worship leaders" together with songs written by our local congregation would make for a meaningful worship experience, I think. (just my opinion)
I've really enjoyed reading your posts on the Everything Must Change conference. Keep those thoughts coming.
casey
Well said Casey. I agree with you that this doesn't have to be an either/or thing. Most of the louder voices in worship music (Crowder, Tomlin, Hillsong) are writing their songs for their own communities of faith. They just happen to catch on with a broader audience as well.
My thought on this is that it's all about intention. If the goal of a given song or style is to reach an individual and appeal to what they want to listen to in the car, that's one thing. If the goal is to contribute to a setting of worship within a community of faith, I think that's something else.
Both are subjective, certainly. In a church setting, I think the main idea is to write and play music that inspires and helps the people there enhance their worship experience. Music moves me that way. So the "style" of the music would end up being what appeals to the given community.
HOWEVER, I can't stand songs that feel like the author phoned it in. The words have to mean something for me to be inspired to play it. If it's just Christian-ese that rhymes without an intention or meaning, I don't think that does anything for a worship experience.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong. :)
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