Songwriting Contest

Pursuit of God, Tommy Walker – CD Review

Posted on Sep 29th, 2011

The new album Pursuit of God by Tommy Walker is a unique project in two ways: First, the sound is different than we have previously heard from Tommy. Secondly, this project has a specific goal in mind, a specific purpose. While this is true for most albums, the focus on this album is new in concept. This album was created specifically for and was inspired by AW Tozer’s classic “The Pursuit of God.”

As a part of that focus, the overall flow and format of this album is different than some may expect. Each song corresponds to the chapters in the book, and after each song track there is a narrative track, with the narrators (Kathy Christopher, a pastor at Tommy’s church; and Kevin White, an actor best known as the voice in the movie Rudy) reading portions from the book itself, as well as offering prayers that help lead into the next track.

The hope is that this will be an album that is truly listened to, reflecting on the lyrics of the music and the words from the narration. I found myself most impacted by the prayers, which were set up nicely by the narrative reading, and allowed me to prayerfully enter into worship with the following track.

The biggest difference, musically, between this album and past Tommy projects is the very prominent orchestration. The Azusa Pacific Orchestra, largely led by concertmaster Ingrid Chun, contributes the rich and lush sounds that only a 60 piece orchestra can provide. We also hear a primary focus on acoustic guitar, with only a couple tracks showcasing the classic Tommy electric guitar tones we’ve all grown accustomed to.

The album opens with ‘Who Are You’, a softer track that introduces the listener to a soft touch from strings and simple acoustic picking. Some may consider this a somewhat “slow” opener, especially compared to some of the “kick in the pants” openers we’ve all heard on other albums. However, this particular approach seems particularly appropriate considering the reflective and prayerful tone of the project as a whole.

‘Earnestly (We Want to Know)’ follows and is one of my favorite tracks on the album. This is another simple arrangement, with the acoustic guitar at the forefront and orchestra adding texture. The bridge of the song is by far the most dynamic portion of the song, with the vocals singing in an anthemic and rhythmic way “we want to know,” “we want to see” and “we want to find.”

The third track, ‘Just You’, introduces us to Tommy playing the harmonica, which he only recently picked up as a tribute to his father.

The fifth track, ‘Taste and See’, is by far my favorite. We get a more interesting dynamic from the get go with this tune. The bridge has some great syncopation which lifts the dynamic of the song, and we see the electric guitar take on a more prominent role as the song progresses – this contribution adds a great layer of color to the overall sound.

If you don’t find yourself involuntarily moving your head to the pulse of the bass on ‘You Are Here’, then you may want to see a doctor. I should also note that the harmonies from the backing vocals on this track almost sound too perfect. If you have a thing for nice harmonies, you will dig this.

The rest of the album continues with the theme of orchestration and acoustic guitar, with some nice touches here and there. For example, the Latin-style guitar flares during ‘Take Your Place’. In fact, the guitar solo during ‘Take Your Place’ is by far my favorite. The strings coming out of the first chorus and at the end, providing a flurry to end this song with a punch, are also by far the most effective and dynamic applications of the orchestra on the entire album.

The only criticisms that some may find with this project are twofold: First, some will find this album to sound a bit old fashioned, particularly due to the emphasis on the orchestration. Secondly, the instrumental during the ‘Create in Me Prelude’ doesn’t seem to naturally flow into the following track, ‘Create in Me’, potentially leaving the listener a little confused as to its purpose.

Aside from those two items, any listener who either appreciates A.W. Tozer’s “Pursuit of God” or enjoys listening to reflective, prayerful and meditative music with an open heart should enjoy this project.

I encourage you: Set time aside for this album when you first listen to it. Sure, this will be great to listen to in the car on your way to work or anywhere else. But the real joy in this album will come when you, the listener, are able to drown everything else out and really zone in on the lyrics in the songs, and words and prayers during the narration. Start there, and I promise that the music will come alive – from the stunningly beautiful instrumentation during the narrations, to the orchestral touches and acoustic guitar textures that carry you through the album.

All in all, I hope you are propelled to engage on your own personal pursuit of God. (Quick note, Lead Sheet Plus charts are available for all songs at www.lifewayworship.com)

-Review by Chris Olson

WorshipDevotional.com Launches This Week!

Posted on Feb 28th, 2011

If you’re a regular visitor to our site or a listener of our podcast, you probably have heard of WorshipDevotional.com, another free resource we are providing. We’re excited to announce the launch of WorshipDevotional.com this week!

WorshipDevotional.com is simply a free online devotional designed for worship leaders and teams. Content is written by worship leaders like: Kathryn Scott, Tommy Walker, Dave Fitzgerald, Dwayne Moore, Rich Kirkpatrick, and Chris Vacher.

Check out this promo video and help us spread the word!

“I Have A Hope” – Tommy Walker Instructional Video

Posted on Oct 19th, 2010

One of my favorite songs by Tommy Walker is one that he sang at the All About Worship Retreat this past May. It’s called “I Have A Hope”, and it’s a great song that speaks about the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. The story behind this song is just as incredible as the song itself. When Tommy shared the story with us at the retreat, I was amazed to hear how God could use a situation like serving food at a homeless shelter to inspire Tommy to write such a great song!

I found this instructional video for the song, and it’s really a great help for guitarists. You can download the song on iTunes. Check out Tommy’s website for many other videos and more info about his music.

-Barry Westman

Episode 42: Interview with Bob Kauflin – Show Notes

Posted on May 4th, 2010

Ben and Wisdom start off the show with a discussion on worship leader hair. We announce an improvement on our podcast episode titles to help you, our friends, find the episodes you want more quickly.



Listener Feedback
-A voice message from Eddy Mann talking about Tommy Walker’s influence on his ministry.

-A voice message from Joe Brookhouse about how Paul Baloche has helped him obtain the training that he needed as a worship leader.

-An email from Keith Yoder in the Middle East about Wisdom’s pronunciation of the word “podcast” vs. Ben’s pronunciation of the word “worship”.

Quick Links
WorshipPlanning.com – the sponsor of this episode.
All About Worship Retreat – coming up May 20-22.
Bob Kauflin – our guest on the show.
Follow Bob – follow Bob on Twitter.
Worship Matters – Bob Kauflin’s book.
Mandy Thompson – our correspondent.
Follow Mandy – follow Mandy on Twitter.
Tommy Walker – Eddy’s most influential worship leader.
Paul Baloche – Joe’s most influential worship leader.
Once An Arafat Man – A biographical book by Ben’s father.
Follow AAW – follow our tweets for regular updates and news.
Like AAW – join our growing number of friends on Facebook.
913.735.4229 – leave us your own voice message.

Night of Worship
Join us on Friday, May 21st @ 7:30pm CST in person or online for a special Acoustic Night of Worship with Jared Anderson, Michael Farren of Pocket Full of Rocks, Tommy Walker, and Darrell Evans. Click here for more details.

We want to say a BIG thanks to WorshipPlanning.com for sponsoring this episode. Start your 30 day free trial today. Check out their feature, 360wp, that allows you to get feedback from your congregation about your worship services. It’s pretty awesome!

Special thanks to Bob Kauflin for taking the time to share his wisdom and insight on our podcast.

Thank you for listening from all over the world. We couldn’t do this without YOU, our friends!

Coming Up this Summer…interviews with Tommy Walker, Rick Muchow, Hillsong United, Miriam Webster, and more!

All About Worship Retreat 2010

Posted on Feb 2nd, 2010

Show Notes for December 9, 2009: Interview with Tim Hughes

Posted on Dec 11th, 2009

AAW-PODCAST-SHOWNOTES

On this episode of the All About Worship Podcast, Wisdom talks about his recent experience going through a worship tim_hughesleading 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

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.

Spend An Hour With Tommy Walker This Thursday!

Posted on Nov 7th, 2009

We are thrilled to host an online seminar with Tommy Walker this Thursday! Tommy is such an amazing man of God and he is truly a pastor to worship pastors.

We invite you to take advantage of this rare opportunity to spend an hour with Tommy this Thursday.

tommy_walker

When: Thursday, November 12, 2009 @ 11am Central

What: 10 Things That Happen When We Worship (an online seminar)

Who: Tommy Walker (bio) and other lead worshiper from across the country.
(Tommy has written over 100 songs that are currently being tracked by CCLI and are being sung in churches around the world, including: “He Knows My Name,” “Only A God Like You,” “That’s Why We Praise Him,” “Lord I Believe In You,” “Mourning Into Dancing,” “Break Through,” “This is What Christmas Means to Me,” and “I Have a Hope.”)

Where: on the phone or online from anywhere in the country!

Details: “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 Walker

Cost: $30

Click Here to Register Today!

Tommy Walker Overflow

Don’t forget to check out Tommy’s new album, Overflow, that just released this month.

Shownotes for October 28, 2009: Interview with Brenton Brown

Posted on Oct 29th, 2009

AAW-PODCAST-SHOWNOTES

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 aBrenton Brown 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

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!

How I Write Songs – Tommy Walker

Posted on Aug 30th, 2009

tommy walkerUsually in the morning, following a time of devotions, I’ll meditate on one specific thought that has come to me either through the Word or through prayer. Most creative people will tell you they have a specific time of day (or night) when they are the most productive. I suggest that you try to identify the time when you are at your most creative, then make it a point to reserve that time each day just for songwriting. My time happens to be in the morning. I’ll pick up my guitar and begin strumming in a musical style that best seems to communicate the thought I’m working with. Then I just begin to worship. I search for a catchphrase (one line), or a “hook,” that best describes the thought. If I can find that one line, half the battle is over! Many times the phrase will already be found in scripture.

At this point I’m already starting to think about how I can create music that will enable the average person to sing along and be touched by this one phrase or truth. In other words, I try to keep the melody within an octave and try to keep the rhythmical phrasing of the lyrics consistent and as simple as possible.

When the song starts taking form it’s time to ask a couple of important questions. Does the song sound too much like some other song? Is the song too predictable? Even if the answer to these questions is “yes,” it isn’t necessarily time to give up.

If the song seems to have potential, I’ll focus on either changing the melody slightly, changing the rhythm or groove of the song, or both. None of us can escape the fact that frequently a new song is inspired by some other song. There’s nothing wrong with that. But when listening to your new song, consciously think about what parts of it sound exactly like the other song, then tweak it so it’s different.

For me, this is where the real work usually begins. I’ve got the basic idea of the music and the lyrical hook of the chorus. Now I have to come up with all the other lyrics that will complete the song. At this point I find it helpful to look up scripture references that go along with the original text or theme, and I’ll use my computer thesaurus. My goal is to avoid using the same phrases I used in my last song. This approach always forces me to be creative when writing lyrics.

As I continue getting ideas, I sing and play them into a hand-held digital recorder. I recommend using a small, portable recording device. It’s a good way to make sure a fleeting, but great, idea doesn’t get away. I’m always looking for interesting or new chord progressions that will serve as a fresh sounding bed for the lyrics to rest on. I am also listening for the correct tempo, and the type of groove the drums will play.

When all the basics of the song are in place, when the framework is complete, it’s time to listen to it critically. Playing back a song frequently gives me new ideas. Of course there are often times I find myself beginning to dislike what I’ve done and wondering why I wasted my time. That’s when I take a break and come back to the song at a later time. A little time and distance can work wonders for objectivity.

Once I return to a song, if it’s pretty much complete and seems to have even a little potential, I play it for a few people whom I can count on for honest feedback. In my case, two of those people include my wife and my pastor. It is extremely important that every writer have an honest, straightforward and objective friend who can serve as a sounding board for new songs, and new song ideas. Ideally it will be someone you can trust; someone who you know loves you, someone who wants you to succeed. Of course, it’s also a huge plus if your sounding board has a proven ear for a good song. If you’re blessed with more than one objective listener, that’s even better!

If my new song passes the listening test of my wife and pastor, then I will teach it to the congregation of my church. Most of the time I usually know right away if the song is “the bomb” or just “a bomb.” However, I generally try to keep the song in our worship services for two or three weeks in a row. Giving up on a new song too soon might eliminate the opportunity for me to see if it is gradually being accepted and embraced by the congregation.

========

Article by Tommy Walker. Used with permission.

Show Notes for May 27, 2009: Interview with Tommy Walker

Posted on May 27th, 2009

aaw-header

This week Ben and Wisdom (AKA Worship Moon) interview Jason Henderson, a friend of the AAW Podcast. Jason shares htommy_walkeris role as Worship Director at Grace Church in Overland Park, KS.

Our featured interview this month is with worship leader/songwriter Tommy Walker. You’ll hear about Tommy’s recent trips to the middle east and his heart for worship around the world. You’ll also hear two songs from his newest album, I Have A Hope.

Show Links

  • Songwriting Teleseminar with Darrell. Download the recent seminar at the All About Worship Store here.
  • Worship Huddle with Jason Henderson. Watch Jason in action as Worship Director before a recent service here.
  • Tommy Walker. Visit Tommy’s website here to download his newest single, “He Knows My Name”, for free. Visit Tommy’s blog here.
  • Songs from Heaven. Check out Tommy’s book on Amazon here.
  • National Worship Leader Conference. Tommy will be there. Have you registered yet?
  • Carl Cartee. Join us next month for an interview with Carl Cartee. Check out his site here.
  • Join us live. Wisdom, Ben, and Darrell will be live Monday, June 1 at 9pm CST on Mogulus and Talkshoe. Come prepared to ask questions on worship or songwriting during the Q&A time with Darrell.
  • Bumpers. Like the new music transitions during the podcast? They are SICK!!! Thanks Mandy for lending your talent!

You can listen to this episode of the podcast online here. Or go subscribe here.


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