Spirit Break Out, Worship Central – Album Review
The team from Worship Central, a school of worship in London, has just released Spirit Break Out in the US, its first live worship album. Spirit Break Out was recorded live at London’s famed HMV Forum theater and features 14 tracks from the Worship Central team of Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon, Al Gordon, Nikki Fletcher and Luke Hellebronth.
As the title implies, Spirit Break Out’s overarching theme is the cry to allow God more freedom and power in worship. “We always need to be looking to be Spirit-led in our worship,” says Tim Hughes. “The Spirit gives life, releases freedom and joy, puts a new song on our lips and reveals the beauty and majesty of Christ.” This theme is well-explored throughout the album, which combines new songs with all new live versions of favorites such as Hughes’ “Counting On Your Name” and Ben Cantelon’s “Savior Of The World”.
The album opens in a very appropriate way for this album, with Tim Hughes’ take on “Spirit Of The Living God” fall fresh on me. That sets the tone for the whole album! “New Day” comes next, by Ben Cantelon, a great up-beat, catchy opening song! Tim’s classic “At Your Name” is also included here, with a cool keyboard sequence that’s very reminiscent of Owl City’s “Fireflies”.
It’s the title track, though, “Spirit Break Out”, that sets this album apart. It probably wouldn’t translate well in many churches live, but it works well in this live concert/conference format. It combines rap and vocals with the band, and is really the heart cry of this project. As Hughes explains: “The title track feels like a revival song… a cry to see God smashing out of the box, turning us upside down, inside out and leading us into more of His presence and glory.”
Other standouts include “Undivided Love”, “For Your Glory” and “All Glory”. There are many songs on this album that would work great for congregational use. It’s also a perfect album to have for your own personal worship, with the live, free-flowing feel. Great job, Worship Central!
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
-Review by Barry Westman
(review copy provided by Kingsway)
Introducing Claire Hamilton – CD Review
If you haven’t heard of Claire Hamilton by name yet, don’t worry – you may have heard her voice before – and you’ll almost certainly have heard of the guys backing her on this album. Claire, together with some of the guys from her other project (Rend Collective Experiment) has, in this EP, brought together 6 of her own songs, demonstrating not only her anointing as a worship leader, but also as a gifted songwriter. Here’s a track-by-track breakdown of this EP:
“In View of Your Mercy” – This co-write with Ben Cantelon is a powerful opener to the album. A strong, drum-led introduction opens out into a song that speaks of the privilege we hold in being able to approach God in worship. I particularly like the references to Romans 12 – offering our lives as living sacrifices in worship to God – a passage that has always held a special place in my heart.
“Lend Me Your Heart” – One of the standout tracks on the album for me. The space that is created by the simple, yet solid backing of bass, drums and electric guitars allows Claire’s melodic vocal line to clearly come to the fore, backed by some great harmony lines in the chorus. This song speaks of a desire to bring the Gospel to people with the heart of Christ – to see healing, deliverance, salvation and justice through the eyes of His heart.
“My Refuge” – When we’re feeling out of touch with the Lord, it is sometimes easy to forget just how close He is to us. One line of this song strikes me every time I hear it – “You are as close as the mention of Your name”. The strength of the message of this song is awesome – we are loved by a God who is our strength, our hope, and our refuge in times of need. This song is a great example of the more reflective side of Claire’s worship style – piano and ethereal guitars emphasize these feelings, and draw us into a place where we can connect with Him.
“Breathe on Me” – If you want a song of invitation for the Lord’s presence to come and speak to you, work within you, and encapsulate you, look no further. Here, we again find the blend of simple, effective, ethereal backing for an almost choral vocal offering. Here we see the strength of Claire’s vocal gifting – the strength of the melody line, backed by the subtlety of the harmonies is simply beautiful.
“Come Satisfy Us” – On another of the standout tracks of the album, we find Claire joined by Aaron Keyes for a track that reflects the Rend Collective influence on Claire’s music. Although almost hymnal in form, chord structure and melody, the song has a lightness to it – an almost folk air that draws heavily on the Irish roots of Claire’s music.
This was the first song of Claire’s that I came across, during a worship set she was involved in with Chris McClarney. Although I had been previously unaware of the song, by the end of the first chorus I (and the rest of the congregation) had all but learnt it – the uncomplicated feel to the lyrics, together with a teachable melody line make it very conducive to corporate worship.
“Look to the Cross” – A highly charged finisher to the album sees heavy, punchy guitars and a lively drumbeat catapult us into a catchy song speaking of the power of Christ’s suffering for us at the cross. Continuing the themes of hope, grace and mercy that are abundant throughout this album, this song reminds us of who we are in Christ, and where our salvation lies. I always like it when modern worshippers draw on the great hymn writers for inspiration, and here we find nestled into the song words from Charles Wesley’s “Love Divine” – speaking of the joyful love that was poured out for us on the cross.
Claire carries the whole-hearted endorsement of such established worship leaders as Brenton Brown, Chris McClarney, Kathryn Scott, and Matt Redman, and on the basis of this album, it’s not difficult to see why. If you’re looking for songs to lead you into a deeper time of worship with the Lord, look no further. There are songs of reflection, redemption, praise and adoration contained within this album, all underpinned by the grace, hope, mercy and love that the Lord gives to us in abundance.
-reviewed by Ed Rotheram
Tim Hughes “Love Shine Through” – CD Review
It’s been ten years since Tim Hughes’ Here I am to Worship release. Since that time, the church worldwide has come to know his music as a standard in praise and worship during corporate worship times. His latest studio album Love Shine Through brings more great worship songs that I think the church will find inspiring.
The opening track “Counting on Your Name” kicks off with a rousing instrumental opening that sort of gives the impression that you’re opening a door to an album that is going to inspire. Then the acoustic guitar kicks in with simple chords and strumming with an opening statement to the Lord that sets the tone for this twelve track worship time - “My Name is written on Your hands, You’ve called me Your own…You’ve called me You’re own….” I can totally see this song as a killer worship song for churches around the world.
One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Tim’s music writing style is his ability to bring singable songs yet layer them with surprising chord structures and instrumentation that keeps the musician in me happy. “Never Stop Singing” is quite possibly one of my favorites on the album. I love the minor chord usage along with the piano and choir. I can see this as a fantastic Easter worship song.
Previously released on his live CD/DVD Happy Day, we find a new version of “Jesus Saves”. I LOVED the live version of this song on the Happy Day recording and was anxious to hear what this new studio version might sound like. And it is totally different! This studio version is a unique interpretation of the original. The introduction is more subtle than the live recording which gives the song more room to build dynamically. It’s a great recording and I was quite pleased with it. Some might say it’s oversaturated with various sounds etc…but I am a proponent of letting the musician be creative with the things they can do in a studio. It’s a great version of an already amazing song.
Overall, Love Shine Through is a very solid studio album from Tim Hughes. As a fan of his music for the past ten years, I am pleased to hear how his sound and songwriting continues to be inspiring and creative. This recording is a MUST for any worship leader looking for singable tunes your local church can sing. If you’re a worship leader/songwriter aching for good personal worship music that has a creative edge to it…this will NOT disappoint. A MUST have in your worship music collection for 2011!
-Review by Ben Abu Saada
(review CD provided by Kingsway)
Love Divine – CD Review
Kingsway worship celebrates the hymns of Charles Wesley with the new Album - Love Divine. Various Kingsway Artists, including Tim Hughes, Chris McClarney, Brian & Jenn Johnson, Kim Walker-Smith, and others recorded modern arrangements of Wesley’s powerful music.
The first track on the Album, “I Know that My Redeemer Lives” is a wonderful arrangement of this powerful hymn by Tim Hughes. He gives it modern instrumentation and rhythm, but does not sacrifice any of the power of the lyricism. If this had been included on Tim’s new CD the average person might not realize it wasn’t his song.
“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” is a familiar song to many because of Chris Tomlin’s version, but Brian Johnson recorded on this album for Kingsway. Driving drums are a strong mark of this song. This is a song I expect to see used in many churches. It takes the lyricism of hymns and the pulse of Modern worship and blends them perfectly.
“Oh For A Thousand Tongues To Sing” is a classic and has been done many times by many people, but with that rich heritage behind, Chris McClarney finds a way to reinvent the song as his own. This song has such a rich build to it, that when he gets to the instrumental interlude, you can’t help but worship with everything you have.
Another well-known track on this album is “Christ The Lord is Risen Today” Aaron Keys does a brilliant job mixing several synthesized sounds and a deep feel to set the early tone, but as he reaches into the “Hallelujah” sections it builds into explosive Joyful Praise.
This is a wonderful modern adaptation of the Hymns of Wesley and should be a standard on any worship leaders shelf. Every song is done by a different artist which shows the versatility of the hymns. No two sound alike in the least. Grab this and it will rejuvenate a liturgical love for hymns within your spirit.
-Review by Mathew Reames
(review CD provided by Kingsway)
This album releases tomorrow, April 19, 2011.
Dancing Wildly – Reflections from Worship Central Live
Last week I had the privilege to be in the congregation for the recording of the Worship Central movement’s first live album. Featuring household names such as Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon and speaker Mike Pilavachi, the evening promised to be a good one. Here are my reflections on the event….
Worship Central’s vision is to “encounter God, equip the worshipper, and empower the local church”. If you take these principles and apply them to Thursday night’s event, the aims were met, exceeded, and positively blown away.
1 Corinthians 14:24-25 describes an atmosphere where an unbeliever comes into a worshipping congregation, encounters the Glory of God through His undeniable presence, the secrets of their heart are laid bare and really the only option is to bow down, crying “God is really among you”! There were times during this event where you could almost touch the thickness of the Lord’s presence.
There is something quite amazing about 2000 worshippers gathering together to experience God’s presence. Everyone turns up with expectancy, and the Lord shows up every time. Mike Pilavachi described worship, during his talk on the night, as being akin to the atmosphere at a Jewish wedding – singing, dancing, celebration – an event where you’re either dancing, or standing on the sides watching.
If the dancing is that infectious, your guard drops and you find yourself caught up in it, whether you had planned it that way or not. This is quite a good summation of the event as a whole, though I went to the event with friends and family, from start to finish my attentions were focused purely upon the Lord, His voice, and His presence. He was in charge of the evening, the night was His.
From a musical perspective, the set contained much of Tim’s new Love Shines Through album, with songs such as ‘Counting On Your Name’, ‘All Glory’ and ‘At Your Name’ going down particularly well. Many of the arrangements of songs were very similar to the album tracks, although there were some slightly more experimental sections, notably the re-working of Ben’s ‘Not Ashamed’ into a more electronic offering, with rapped verses and an anthemic chorus.
Vocally, songs were led with gusto, both Tim and Ben have excellent ranges, great control, and clear projection. There were no shortage of instrumental gifting on the stage either – at one time I counted 3 acoustic guitarists, 3 electric guitarists, a bass, 2 keyboards, drums, percussion and around 5 vocalists, contributing to a full, rousing sound mix.
It is in equipping the church where Worship Central’s greatest calling lies, in my opinion. This was demonstrated within their very setup on the night, with experienced worship leaders encouraging the, perhaps less well-known (though no less effective or gifted), up and coming worship leaders.
Coming from a Vineyard church, where the ethos is very much laid out upon giving away the gifts we have been given by the Lord, I find this very encouraging as a model. Expect to hear much more from Al Gordon, Luke Hellebronth and Nikki Fletcher in the coming years, as these passionate, anointed worship leaders and songwriters have a great deal to offer the church as a whole.
As a final reflection, you’ll remember that in 2 Samuel 6, David’s worship becomes ‘undignified’ – dancing wildly in the presence of the Lord. Not wanting to leave these acts consigned merely to text, Tim Hughes decided to recreate this manner of worship on the night:
reflections by Ed Rotheram
The Songwriter’s Cafe Partners with Worthwhile Worship
We are extremely excited to announce the partnership of The Songwriter’s Cafe with Worthwhile Worship!
Who is Worthwhile Worship? It is an online song review service for Christian songwriters/artists of all genres of music. You pay $30/song and they will have one of their reviewers give you honest feedback on your song.
Not only that, they will also publish your song if your song stands out. The great part about this is that Worthwhile Worship is in partnership with Kingsway/Thank You Music. (That’s the UK label/publishing company that artists like Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, and Brenton Brown are under.) So, the opportunities are tremendous!
Recently, Worthwhile Worship approached us with an interest in partnering with us in some way. We were so excited about the opportunity and wanted to arrange something where our online songwriting community will get the most benefit.
If you’re participating in our Songwriting Challenge, this new partnership will be a great opportunity for you! Each month, we will pick the best song out of the Songwriting Challenge submissions and give that song a free submission to WorthwhileWorship.com. That’s a $30 value. So, now not only do you get the benefit of peer review/feedback on your song submissions each month, but you also have a chance of getting your song reviewed by someone like David Ruis, Les Moir, and Lex Buckley.
If your song does well, you may be offered a publishing deal or have the interest of record labels. Who knows! We hope you will certainly take advantage of this opportunity each month.
It’s not too late to join the Songwriting Challenge!
Counting On Your Name – New Music Video by Tim Hughes
This new music video of “Counting on Your Name” by Tim Hughes just came out today! You gotta check it out! It’s a great song.
Show Notes for December 9, 2009: Interview with Tim Hughes
On this episode of the All About Worship Podcast, Wisdom talks about his recent experience going through a worship 
leading interview process at a local church. We also get a chance to talk to worship leader/songwriter/author/fellow podcaster (is there anything he doesn’t do?) Tim Hughes! We will hear about some of the projects he’s working on to help equip you, the worship leader, and talk about his latest album “Happy Day: Live Worship//London”.
Giveaway
Our friends at Worship Leader Magazine have graciously provided a way for you to attend the upcoming National Worship Leader conference in 2010….for FREE!!! You can pick from one of three conference locations (Albuquerque, NM, Lancaster, PA, or right here in Overland Park, KS). We are giving this scholarship away to one of 65 people who register for the upcoming All About Worship retreat. So go register for the upcoming retreat and enter for your chance to win a scholarship to the National Worship Leader Conference. Learn more about the All About Worship reatreat at WorshipRetreat.org.
Be sure to stop by Worship Leader Magazine’s website here. And if you’re on Twitter, please Tweet a thanks to @wlmagazine for sending @allaboutworship a scholarship to giveaway. Just copy and paste this in your Twitter status: Hey @wlmagazine Thank u for giving a NWLC scholarship to @allaboutworship podcast to giveaway!!!
Giveaway Part 2
We are also giving away 20 copies of Dwayne Moore’s book “Pure Praise” to the first 20 people who register and the first 10 people will also receive a copy of Darrell Evans’ latest CD “Nothing Less than Everything”. So go register today at WorshipRetreat.org! Huge thanks to Group Publishing and Darrell Evans for providing these items!
Giveaway Part 3
We are giving away 3 copies of Tommy Walker’s new CD “Overflow” and 2 copies of Sara Groves new Cd “Fireflies and Songs”. All you have to do is drop a comment on this post about the podcast and we’ll enter your name in the drawing.
Special Announcement
Recently a new listener to the podcast was EXTREMELY gracious in answering our recent comments about needing some new equipment. Joe Brookhouse donated to our “Save the All About Worship Gear” fundraising campaign and issued a challenge to fellow listeners. He was willing to match any donation received. How cool is that?!?! Thanks Joe for your love….for the podcast and for the worship leading community who listens to us!
Show Links
- AllAboutWorship Retreat. Check out our first retreat coming May 20-22, 2010 in Overland Park, KS.
- National Worship Leader Conference. Check out the lineup for the upcoming conference in July, 2010. Don’t forget about the giveaway (in case you have extreme short term memory) read above.
- TravisFischer.com. We also hear from many of you regarding the podcast including this UNSOLICITED review from Travis Fischer. Thanks Travis! And thanks to all who have left comments and reviews in iTunes!
- Here I Am to Worship. Ben mentions this book and how it impacted his worship leading ministry during the podcast. Authored by Tim Hughes.
- Happy Day: Live Worship//London. Get Tim’s CD/DVD on Amazon today!
- WorshipTogether.com. In 2009, Tim Hughes was a part of the WorshipTogether conferences traveling the U.S.
- WorshipCentral.org. A MUST for worship leaders. A resource Tim helped create for worship leaders around the globe. Check it out.
- WorshipCentral Podcast on iTunes. Another fantastic worship leader resource with interviews, tips and free music from Tim Hughes and Al Gordon.
- Give Us Your Courage. Get the song on iTunes. HUGE thanks to Survivor Records for giving permission to play this song on the podcast.
- Tim on Twitter. Follow Tim on Twitter @timhughes77
- Sara Groves. Up next on the January podcast!
- Facebook Fan Page. If you aren’t a part of it yet…you should be. What are you waiting for?!?
- Contact us. Visit Wisdom’s site here. Visit Ben’s site here. Email us at podcast@allaboutworship.com or call us and leave a voicemail at 206.426.7119. You can also follow @AllAboutWorship on twitter. Follow Ben on Twitter. Follow Wisdom on Twitter.
As always…we THANK YOU for being a part of making this little podcast possible. Thanks for listening and telling your friends and family.
Listen to this episode on our AAW Archives page. Subscribe on iTunes.
Shownotes for October 28, 2009: Interview with Brenton Brown
On this episode of the All About Worship Podcast, we hear from songwriter/worship leader Brenton Brown. If you are a worship leader, chances are you’ve led your church singing a
Brenton Brown song. You’ll hear about his songwriting process, his perspective on how the worship music scene has changed over the past 10 years and where he thinks it’s heading over the next five. You’ll also hear Brenton’s latest single “Adoration” during the podcast. Stay tuned for a special outtake at the end of the podcast.
Tommy Walker Webinar
“In this Webinar, I want to passionately remind worship leaders, pastors and worshipers in general why we gather on a Sunday and what happens when we express worship to God. Every week we come together and sing songs, but if we don’t understand the importance of it and the power of God that is in it, the worship in our churches will only tend to shrink. I believe if we will take a step back and let God’s word show us what we are to do, we will all be able to lead with a kind of passion and boldness that we never had before!” -Tommy
Register today for the upcoming webinar with Tommy Walker on “10 Things that Happen When We Worship”.
Show Links
- BrentonBrown.com. Visit Brenton’s website.
- Brenton’s YouTube Channel. Check out Brenton’s Vlog where he answers your questions and shares insights from his worship leading/songwriting experiences.
- Brenton’s Blog. Check out Brenton’s blog.
- Brenton on Twitter. Follow Brenton on Twitter.
- “Introducing Brenton Brown” on iTunes. Get the single “Adoration” on Brenton’s latest release on iTunes. Amazing songs for corporate worship.
- Listener Feedback from Ganns in the Philippines. Thanks to Ganns for the love! Glad you’re listening.
- Tommy Walker Webinar. Register today!
- Paul Baloche. Join us for a live interview with Paul Baloche as we record for an upcoming podcast. October 30, 11 or 11:30am CST. Stay tuned for the finalized time.
- Tim Hughes. We’ve got an interview scheduled with Tim Hughes for an upcoming podcast. Nov 19 at 10am CST.
- Facebook Fan Page. Join us…you know you want to.
- Contact us. Visit Wisdom’s site here. Visit Ben’s blog here. Email us at podcast@allaboutworship.com or call us and leave a voicemail on our new number at 206.426.7119. You can also follow All About Worship on Twitter. Follow Ben on Twitter. Follow Wisdom on Twitter.
Listen to this episode on our AAW Archives page. Subscribe on iTunes.
We are planning a special year end edition of the All About Worship Podcast where we answer your questions about the podcast. Any question is game. Submit them to our email or voicemail by November 5th and we’ll do our best to include them.
By the way, we’ll pick 3 random people from the comments on this post to win the “Introducing Brenton Brown” CD AND a free regisration to the webinar w/ Tommy Walker. (You must first listen to the episode and then comment about it. We’ll know if you haven’t.)
Once again, the All About Worship crew want to thank YOU for listening!
Worship Central with Tim Hughes and Al Gordon
If you enjoy listening to podcasts for worship leaders, like the All About Worship Podcast, you may like the Worship Central Podcast. It is hosted by fellow podcasters and worship leaders, Tim Hughes and Al Gordon, in the UK.
Tim (who was interviewed on our podcast) and Al provide some great resources, music, and practical training. Be sure to check them out and subscribe. They also feature some training videos on their podcast as well.
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