Vineyard Music - Winds Of Worship 10: Live From New England
STYLE: MOR / Soft Pop RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 12164-CAS1068 LABEL: Vineyard Music 1292592 FORMAT: CD Album RRP: £1.03
Reviewed by Kevin B Elliott
Another album breezes in off the slopes of the Vineyard USA, this one recorded during a praise conference in Massachusetts. The cover depicts a wind swept lighthouse. Yet this particular wind of worship is not a biting sea-air chill gusting unexpectedly from changing directions, one that might depict the wild untameable spirit. Instead it is more of a steady warm breeze that entices you to linger on your holiday resort balcony, one which is more reflective of that still small voice. It cantors through its opener "You Are God" by Scott Underwood which is pleasant enough but somewhat spoilt by him introducing lyrics before singing them. Couldn't they get the overhead projection working? The tempo remains slow and steady whilst introducing me to the talent of Cindy Rethmeir who sings two of her own songs, "Abba Father" (no, not Dave Bilbrough's oldie) and "Your Presence", but then peaks in singing a marvellous rendition of Martha Butler's "Alleluia, He Is Coming". Although the pace of worship never gathers too much momentum, this isn't snooze material as even the quietest songs gradually build up to some degree of instrumental force. We do start to get excited at track eight, with the 10 minute epic "I See The Lord" which allows emotions to build through both vocals and instruments. Some lush Frampton-style guitar licks creep in, and who let the bluesy harmonica dude on to the set? The album also includes hymn covers. I smiled at the mammoth reworking of "Blessed Assurance" due to its seeming snail-pace in comparison to when recording with S'dANCE we used verse two in a song that was sung at over three times the speed by Beth Redman (130bpm to 40bpm for any DJ heads reading the wrong review!). Then with its acappella start came yet another recording of John Newton's classic. Great as the hymn is, we will all need "Amazing Grace" to accept too many more versions of it. The album eventually finishes with a frenzy of cheering and horn noises (a shofar?). I guess you just had to be there!
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I was pastoring in Massachusetts when this conference was
held, but I knew nothing about it until after the fact, when
I bought the CD. If it were a vinyl album, I would have worn
the grooves out by now. I would have loved to have been
there. Thank you for your testimony of how God changed your
life there. It was a blessing.
I was there! I was Blessed! God changed the direction of my life there. I recall a total abandonment of my life to Him and a shofar!
I was pastoring in Massachusetts when this conference was held, but I knew nothing about it until after the fact, when I bought the CD. If it were a vinyl album, I would have worn the grooves out by now. I would have loved to have been there. Thank you for your testimony of how God changed your life there. It was a blessing.
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