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WL TAKEAWAY: Though all are focused on
vertical praise, the songs will be most useful in
personal worship. But there are a couple tunes
here worthy of congregational singing, and
worship-choir leaders will also find their needs
met in this album.
DREWCLINE.COM
REAL
ak i h
Rock o
R cor s
For the top tunes, let your ears wander
along with the outstanding I-must-decrease-and-He-must-increase, “These Things,”
where, in a touching homage to the legacy
of God-fearing parents, every musical corner
holds a surprise for his rich croon. Of course,
the album opener, “Get Up,” has enough gentle flow and shiny inspiration to make it one
for the alarm clock to get you out the door
everyday. Follow that up with his high-fly-ing “Can’t Save Your Soul” and you have
enough music to keep you moving with a
smile on your face ’til lunchtime. Tuneful
and sincere, with a message of reliance on
the Creator, Smith shines in his Rocketown
debut.
Jake Smith, a New Orleans native, is
unafraid of a little music mix ’n’ match. He’s
a hip-hop singer/songwriter with an awareness of guitar pop sprinkled with a dash of
Dixie band know-how and alternative understanding. Those are all great reasons to
give him a shot, but when you hear his singular ability to pen hooks with barbs that
jam themselves in so deep, you have to admit, the kid is good.
WL TAKEAWAY: Pick this one up for your
personal jazz-pop-hip-hop collection and you’ll
have catchy pick-me-up with strong Christ-centered songwriting.
JAKESMITHMUSIC.COM
PILGRIMS JOURNEY
Mark r i s ay M sic
In the June issue of Worship Leader,
Martin Smith
(of Delerious?)
interviewed
Mark Tedder for
his “World Wide”
column. There,
Tedder shared
his heart for
China (where
he lives now) and his passion for worship to change the world. We got a hold
of his CD Pilgrim’s Journey and were duly
impressed. His passion comes across in
well-crafted songs that are immediately
accessible for congregational worship.
Song after song, Tedder offers tunes that
are at once accessible and carry the verse-to-chorus lift to gather voices in praise.
There are a couple great covers on
the CD, but the Tedder original to check
out for your worship service is “Let Us
Be Broken.” A driving beat and Edge-like
guitar motif carry the theme of sacrifice
with a drawn out and passionate building quality. Then “Justice,” a theme that
missionaries always have a closer con-
