Kees Kraayenoord - The Early Years: Broken & This Is My Cry

Published Saturday 20th February 2010
Kees Kraayenoord - The Early Years: Broken & This Is My Cry
Kees Kraayenoord - The Early Years: Broken & This Is My Cry

STYLE: Pop
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 87601-16280
LABEL: Ecovata EGP189
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 2
RRP: £12.99

Reviewed by Stephen Luff

Holland's Kees first came to the public's attention when he was asked to lead worship at Flevo music festival in 2002. He returned the following year and this time the experience was recorded and became his first release 'This Is My Cry', which is disc one of this set. The other CD is his second album 'Broken' from 2005. The first disc opens with popular worship songs "All That Matters" (Eoghan Heaslip) and "Your Name Is Holy" (Brian Doerkson). Although these are good performances and the musicians with Kees are tight and engaging, there is not a lot on disc one to make the album stand out amongst the many high quality live praise recordings issued each year - until you get to the self-penned seventh song "This Is My Cry" with lyrics that really connect with the listener. The same effect is repeated with the bonus track "God Of The Moon And Stars" (a recording of which was once handed out as a gift to prostitutes). 'Broken' was recorded in a makeshift studio housed within a chapel in Switzerland and "Your Amazing Love", the opening track, just overflows with worship and praise, with Kees emotional tones flowing from the speakers, cutting through the concerns of the moment. The atmosphere continues with the self-penned tracks "Jesus More" and "The Praises Of The Lamb". Although more contemplative than 'This Is My Cry', 'Broken' is equally strong and there are some radio friendly praise tracks like "All That I Want" and "The Fathers Place". Overall this package is a great way to investigate the early albums of a powerful worship leader still fairly unknown outside of his homeland.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Product Description
'This Is My Cry' was Kees’s first CD which was released in 2003.
It was recorded live at Flevo Festival in Holland in front of 10,000 people, where Kees was invited to lead worship for three of the services. In the months that followed, 'This Is My Cry' was listed as number one in the Dutch praise charts for many weeks.
In 2005 Kees released his first studio album, 'Broken'. Just like 'This Is My Cry', 'Broken' also reached number one on the Dutch praise charts.
The message of 'Broken', which was recorded in Switzerland, touched many lives.
Kees says, 'Worship is not about getting over your brokenness so you can be close to God, but rather getting close to God even in your brokenness. He wants you as you are, so we can meet and worship Him, because God knows what brokenness is.'
Broken was also recognised in the US Christian music industry and as a result Kees was invited to play a showcase during Gospel Music Week in Nashville in 2006.

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.