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Out of the ordinary / Blended worship

In an attempt to improve the quantity (if not the quality) of my reviews, I am using a new concise format.

The five star scoring system is mostly self-explanatory. Colossians 3.16 says, ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.’ The COL316 score indicates to what degree I believe the album: is rich in Scripture, contains wise teaching and admonition, has a corporate dimension, and expresses thanks to God.

OUT OF THE ORDINARY (CD)
By Graham Kendrick
http://www.grahamkendrick.co.uk
£12.00. 11 tracks, 52 minutes

STYLE: contemporary worship
COL316: 5 stars
MUSIC: 4 stars
LYRICS: 5 stars
PRODUCTION: 4 stars
SINGABILITY: 3 stars
OVERALL: 4 stars

This album certainly lives up to its title. My first thought was, ‘Wow, what a lot of words!’ The daddy of quality and quantity (his website lists more than 350 songs) has done it again. His tunes may not be quite as singable as a Getty, but there is plenty to chew and feed on. And Kendrick the poet, who gave us such memorable phrases as ‘hands that flung stars into space’ is still working hard to grab our attention to see the glory of the triune God. Here are just a few lines from the longest track, ‘Crucified Man’.

I have placed all my hope in a crucified man
In the wounds in his side, his feet and his hands

I’ve abandoned my trust in the wise and the proud
For this fragile, mysterious weakness of God

I believe as they beat on his beautiful face
He turned a torturer’s chair to an altar of grace

When the purest and best took the force of our curse
Death’s victory armada juddered into reverse

I have buried my life in the cold earth with him
Like a seed in the winter, I wait for the spring

When I stand at the judgement I have no other plan
I’ve placed my hope in a crucified man

Kendrick may not have the sweetest voice, but the integrity of the singer-songwriter shines through. Some pretty hefty musical talent has been applied to the project, including Dan Wheeler’s excellent guitar work and Julian Kindred’s arrangements, keyboards and production. In a word: extraordinary.

BLENDED WORSHIP, Vol. 2 (CD)
By Andy Green, Chris Norton
http://www.authenticmedia.co.uk
£10.00. 12 tracks, 43 minutes

STYLE worship muzak
COL316 *
MUSIC **
LYRICS *
PRODUCTION **
SINGABILITY **
OVERALL **

A novel concept: take a modern song and an old hymn and fuse them together. Sometimes it works quite well, others it sounds like a confusing cacophony of two loosely connected songs played over each other. Grumpy old John G. Whittier’s ‘Dear Lord and Father’ is always a turn-off in whatever form it is presented, but the fusion of ‘Praise my soul’ and ‘Indescribable’ is pretty good really. The fact that one of the lead singers sounds just like a 1980s Cliff Richard may please some. In a word: novelty.

PGDH
http://ColossiansThreeSixteen.org