AAW Podcast Episode 82, featuring an Exclusive Interview w/ Brothers McClurg
For our 82nd episode, we feature an interview with Anthony and Chris Hoisington, the brothers behind the worship band Brothers McClurg. They discuss their recent EP on Integrity (Alive), their first co-write (with Paul Baloche no less!), and their heart for their hometown, Buffalo, NY.
What Else?
-Wisdom and Ben are once again joined by All About Worship team members Chris Olson and Mathew Reames.
-Mat tries out for the open(?) co-host position.
-Wisdom invites Susan Foutaine Godwin, founder of Christian Copyright Solutions back for another discussion on copyright compliance.
-We learn more about Chris…maybe more than we really wanted to know…
Quick Links
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A special thanks to Christian Copyright Solutions for sponsoring this podcast. Be sure to use promo code, AAWPODCAST, on CopyrightSolver.com to receive a special 10% off the PERFORMmusic and WORSHIPcast licenses and the PERMISSIONSplus service.
Reason To Sing EP, All Sons & Daughters – Review
This past Fall All Sons & Daughters released their debut EP, Brokenness Aside. Even as an EP, it was among the top albums of 2011. This week they released their second EP – Reason to Sing. This 7 song EP is just packed with brilliance.
I have been listening to this EP for a month now and haven’t sat down to write this review. It’s mostly because I keep listening to the EP and getting lost in worship when I should be typing. However, that is not a bad sign. If a worship album draws you in to worship, then it should be considered a success.
“Oh Our Lord” really captivated me. It begins with a soft strings sound with fingerpicked guitar. Leslie’s voice shines then you come into the main chorus, which is the theme of the song: “Oh Lord our Lord. Oh Lord our Lord. How majestic is Your name in all the earth.” The signature harmony between David and Leslie really shines. When the song continues to build to the bridge it has this truly majestic feel with a driving drum and lyrics declaring the attributes of God and the name of God.
“Spirit Speaks” is another song that really works well. It begins with David, a piano and the cello. It’s about being awakened to the heart, love and presence of the Lord. The full band comes in on the second verse and the song has a slow drive that really pulls you in to worship. I love the way this song is simple, yet deeply profound. Simple lyrics really pull you into worship of the Lord.
“All Praise to You” begins with a soft fingerpicked guitar that sets a soft melody. Electric guitar with subtle volume swells in the background highlights this feel. It draws your focus to the lyrics and the harmony between David and Leslie. This song is exactly as the title would suggest. All praise to GOD! The song calls us to lavish our love, to give the glory, and to pour our praise, honor and thanks before the Lord.
I could write something about every song on this seven track EP, but for the sake of brevity I will keep it short. I must admit that I am quickly becoming a big fan of All Sons and Daughters. I love their soulful style that seamlessly melds worship and bluegrass with an organic sound that is simply meant to glorify the Lord. I give this EP 4 out of 5 stars!
-Review by Mathew Reames
(review copy provided by Integrity Music)
“Economy”, John Mark McMillan – CD Review
As I’m sure is the case with a few of the readers out there, until I heard this album my experiences of John Mark McMillan had been confined to his own rendition of ‘How He Loves’. On his version of his own song, John Mark brings his natural, gritty, raw brand of worship to the fore – a far cry from some of the other (some would say more predictable) brands of worship doing the rounds at the minute. Let’s take a closer look at John Mark’s latest offering – Economy.
I, like many, love music that reminds me of the sound that first got me hooked on guitars. The first bands I really took to in this vain were some of the guitar bands of the mid-90s – Counting Crows, REM, Hootie and the Blowfish and the like. Upon hearing the opening three tracks – ‘Sheet of Night’, ‘Daylight’ and ‘Our Hearts Bleed’ – these were the bands I thought of. John Mark’s voice sits way up in the foreground, with great melodies put over pleasing, driving chord sequences belted out by a stirring live rhythm unit of guitar, bass and drums. The drums in particular have an early Led Zeppelin feel – look up ‘When the Levee Breaks’ and you’ll know where I’m coming from.
From the rocky opening, tracks 4 and 5 on the album take the level down a shade or two, and into a couple of tracks that would sit nicely on U2’s The Joshua Tree: ‘Love You Swore’, and the standout track on the album – ‘Murdered Son’. Ethereal guitars sit over a solid underlying rhythm, again with John Mark’s voice providing captivating vocals. Again [as with the “sloppy wet kiss” line in ‘How He Loves’] John Mark shows within ‘Murdered Son’ how he is not afraid to express himself in words that may make others uncomfortable by portraying Jesus as “God’s Murdered Son”. Herein lies some of the beauty of John Mark’s worship – his heart is placed directly onto his sleeve at the beginning of the album, and doesn’t show any signs of being removed.
John Mark’s anointing for lyrical and arrangement skill again comes to the fore in “Who Is This”. Countless songs have been written around the words of Psalm 24, in which the gates are opened up for the King of Glory to enter, and yet here we find an original, compelling worship song, with some succinct guitar work thrown in. For me this is one of the standout tracks musically – the phased guitar that appears toward the end of this track being a particular high point.
I’ve heard Tim Hughes and Matt Redman describe worship as being an outward expression of a heart’s cry to the Lord. This is where John Mark’s worship begins and ends – I’ve likened many of the tracks to sounds and bands that I’ve heard before, and yet he (and the Lord) would simply define this as the sound that comes out when he pours his heart out. This is refreshingly pure worship, and worship that I enjoyed immensely.
-Review by Ed Rotheram
(review CD provided by Integrity Music)
The Sounds of Daniel Bashta – CD Review & Giveaway
The Sounds of Daniel Bashta is the new worship album from Daniel Bashta. It is in my opinion not just the sounds of Daniel, but the sounds of the next Season. I have been listening to this CD for quite sometime and it has truly been a revelation to me.
The Track “Like a Lion” has been released already as a single. Some may recognize it because David Crowder and Kristian Stanfill both did covers of this song. The song is full of Love and Hope. With its strong drive it makes for a great congregational praise song. I love the line in the bridge, “Let heaven roar and fire fall. Let’s shake the ground, with the sound of revival.” I love the thought of heaven shaking earth with sound.
Daniel pulls two wonderful duets in this album. The first is “Heaven” which is a duet with Mac Powell of Third day. This is beautiful song of passion. It is a very easy song but its powerful lyrics make it stand out from the rest. If you didn’t know this was written by Daniel, you would think it was by Mac Powell. His part suits him perfectly and really adds to the dynamic of the song.
The second is “Pursuit” which is a duet with Kim Walker-Smith of Jesus Culture. The dynamic of this duet is wonderful. Their two voices intertwine in a delightful mix of song and spirit. This is a song that really draws your attention to Jesus and calls you into his tangible presence.
As I said, I think this CD is a sample of the sounds of worship that we will begin to see in the next season. “Freedom Calling” is a song that I think demonstrates this. It is a vibrant, upbeat, faith building song. The strong driving rhythm of the guitar and drums really help to push you forward in worship.
Overall this is one of the few CD’s I can say really changed me. When I first received it, It came on the heels of a sermon series about the sounds of revival. So not only is it a phenomenal CD, but it reinforced everything my pastors were teaching. When you have that happen, you know God is speaking to you.
-Review by Mathew Reames
(review copy provided by Integrity Music)
Check out our recent interview with Daniel (by Wisdom Moon):
To enter to win a FREE CD + Vinyl of this album, leave a comment on this post by end of Tuesday, Sept 13th. One entry per person please (you may reply to other entries, but only one comment will be counted for each person). Entries valid only for U.S. and Canadian addresses (sorry to our international readers). We’ll choose 3 random winners.
Exclusive Interview with Daniel Bashta
Wisdom Moon, founder of All About Worship, goes one-one-one with worship leader, songwriter, Integrity Music artist, Daniel Bashta.
Daniel shares about his music, life, and ministry.
New Life Worship “You Hold It All” – CD Review + Video Debut
THE REVIEW: (by Joe Cameneti, Jr.; review copy provided by Integrity Music)
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This seems to be the approach of the seasoned New Life Worship Team as they release yet another remarkable live project recorded at their home church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. If you enjoy massive arrangements, epic imagery and corporate anthems, You Hold it All is the perfect worship experience for you.
This 12 track collection boasts a strong lineup of familiar faces with artists like Jared Anderson (“Rescue,” “Amazed,” “Coming Your Way”), Jon Egan (“I Am Free,” “Overcome”) and Glenn Packiam (“My Savior Lives,” “Your Name”) leading the charge. There are also some great vocal performances from the rest of the New Life team.
Although You Hold it All returns with the familiar New Life flare of albums past, it definitely seems to have different points of emphasis and a more “celebratory” feel. Their last project, Counting on God, was anchored by songs like “Overcome” and written in response to several devastating moments in their congregation’s recent history. So it was exciting to hear about the new things God is doing in and through this beautifully resilient example of the local church. Here are some tracks I especially enjoyed:
“Lift the Name” – Fun, hooky and fresh – This is the often evasive “song # 1” that every worship leader desperately needs to jumpstart a service in the right way.
“Our Messiah Reigns” – A Co-write with Ian Eskelin and Glenn Packiam (featured on his latest solo project). It focuses on the meaning of Messiah – the long awaited Savior, Healer and Restorer.
“Great I Am” – The stand-out track of the album by Jared Anderson. Full of beautiful and epic imagery, painting the picture of worship around the throne. I think this is the next “Revelation Song.” Just saying…
“Captives Free” – Based out of Luke 4 and Isaiah 61, Jesus fulfilled the Scripture, and now New Life gives us the opportunity to declare the same over our lives. I love the message that this song arms a believer with – The Spirit of God is now on us to do even greater things than Jesus Himself! (John 14)
“Dry Bones” – Inspired by Ezekiel 37, this song has a strong prophetic message, speaking to the dry bones in our midst and commanding them to come back to life.
“God Be Praised” – Another powerful song borrowed from Desperation Band’s Light up the World – adding a new bridge, “Out of ashes you lifted us. To the table you came and filled our cup.” (See video below)
You can’t get ahold of this album fast enough. Buy it. Learn it. And teach it to your congregation!
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THE VIDEO DEBUT: “God Be Praised”
We are partnering with Integrity Music to debut the music video of “God Be Praised” on our site as well as provide the chord chart for free!
Click Here for the FREE CHORD CHART
Glenn Packiam “The Kingdom Comes” – CD Review
Rarely does an album come along where one feels that every track has a place in a Sunday morning worship set. Yet with his EP The Kingdom Comes, in my opinion Glenn Packiam has come up with an offering worthy of being placed into this bracket.
From start to finish, the EP conveys a great message of truth, wisdom, reverence, holiness, and praise. There is even a sense of chronology to it – as worshippers we seek opportunities to praise, encounter revelation from the Lord, and then respond accordingly. Track for track, this album gives worshippers every opportunity to do just that, from the punchy opener ‘Our Messiah Reigns’, through to the reverent, responsive ‘At the Cross’. 
The level of praise and adulation expressed in ‘Our Messiah Reigns’ is something to behold from a songwriter’s perspective. At no point during this song do you feel like Glenn was struggling to find words to express his praise, and at no point do you feel like there wasn’t a plan, a binding structure holding the song together. This is one of those songs where you question whether it hasn’t just been around for ages, it’s too good to have just been written.
‘Forgiven Forever’, for me, is the standout track on the EP. As Christians, it is often forgiveness that presents the most difficult aspect of God’s love for us to accept. This track presents forgiveness in a way that says to me that we are forgiven, not for who we are, but for who He is. Summing it up with a stunning bridge based upon Romans 8:38-39, we are reminded that:
‘no death, no life, no present, no future,
no angel, no demon, no power, no creature,
could take me away from the love that’s in Jesus Christ’
We are forgiven because He is forgiving, we are loved because He first loved us.
In keeping with the idea of every song being suitable for Sunday mornings, the arrangements and instrumentation on this album are kept simple, yet highly effective. Led from either an acoustic guitar or piano and backed by the standard guitar, bass, keys and drums line-up, this album would present worship leaders with no problems with using the songs for their own worship sets.
I particularly like the arrangements in ‘All Things’ – a great praise chorus, with a nice building chord progression in the verse; and ‘Everlasting God’, with it’s melodic piano introduction leading into a reflective song of response to the Lord.
I have realized more and more in the past few weeks and months that worship is about us bringing a pleasing offering to the Lord, a response worthy of the praise He’s due. This album does this succinctly, ordering praise, revelation and response worthy of a great offering to God. I pray it blesses you as much as it has blessed me.
-Review by Ed Rotheram
(review CD provided by Integrity Music)
Great I Am by Jared Anderson – New Life Worship (video)
Check out this new music video from New Life Worship and Integrity Music. This is a new song by our friend, Jared Anderson.
Parachute Band “Love Without Measure” – CD Review
Love Without Measure is the third album release since the new iteration of Parachute Band formed in 2006. The New Zealand-based worship band has somewhat of a heritage of writing songs with meaningful lyrics, combined with excellent production and musicianship. This newest album certainly meets the high standard that the group has set for itself.
This album mixes a wide range of modern rock songs and straightforward ballads, all infused with synthesized electronic textures. Each track on the album is truly unique from the others, showing this band’s diversity of style.
Almost all of the songs, with their solid and expressive lyrics, have a consistent theme of worship directly to the Lord. The album opens with the catchy and upbeat “Gave It All,” probably the most pop-influenced track of them all. ”Saviour Of The Broken Heart” shines as an anthem of hope for the brokenhearted, and of inspiration to reach the lost. One of the ballads, “It’s You,” features Martin Smith of Delirious?. The album finishes with a purely instrumental track, “Soar,” which almost serves as a perfect soundtrack for reflecting upon the lyrics and the worshipful experience of the previous 11 tracks.
Love Without Measure continues The Parachute Band’s tradition of relevant, accessible, and well-produced songs, many of which could be equally suited for both Christian radio and for church worship services.
-Review by Michael Fash
Download the free chord chart of “You Remain”.
Video Interview w/ Brian Doerksen (with GIVEAWAY!)
Mandy Thompson recently had a chance to interview Brian Doerksen for the All About Worship Podcast. Here is the video version. Go here for the audio/podcast version of it, along with show notes.
After watching the interview, answer the last question that Mandy asks Brian for yourself and leave it as a comment on this post…for your chance to win Brian’s Level Ground CD-Rom Digital Songbook. Deadline: Thursday, Feb 24th @ 2pm CST. (US residents only. Must be at least 18 years old.) Winner will be randomly chosen.
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