ALBUM ARTIST: Vertical Church Band
ALBUM LABEL: Provident Label Group/ Essential Worship
FAVORITE TRACKS: I’m Going Free (Jailbreak), The Rock Won’t
Move,
Worthy, Worthy, Strong To Save
RATING: 5/5
My home church will be celebrating
its 19th Year Anniversary on the third Sunday of November. We are
holding a very powerful theme from the book of First Corinthians chapter
fifteen verse fifty-eight; where Paul is urging the Corinthians to stand
firm, do not be moved and always give & submit fully to the work of the
Lord. This is very timely to every Christians today whose navigating through the
ups and downs of life. This is also the message that is being conveyed by the
latest record from the Vertical Church Band, The Rock Won’t Move.
It is my first time to write a
review for VCB & their label, also my first time to listen to their songs. What’s impressive with this album is it’s flavorful and diverse in atmosphere,
brought up by the collaborative works of Harvest worship leaders: Seth
McConkey, Meredith Andrews, Kyle Fredricks, Jon Guerra, Andi Rozier and Tara
Rios. Each song is a declaration of faith to the Lord, our ever-faithful Solid
Rock.
The album opener Found In You is
energetic which is common to many albums. Its instrumentation is somehow
familiar to me, mixtures of New Life Worship, Hillsong and Worship Central. I
love the thick participation of the people that is well consistent throughout the
song up to the next track, I’m Going Free (Jailbreak). The entirety of
the song is catchy and chanty, making it one of my favorite tracks in the
album. I commend the enthusiasm of Kyle Fredricks in declaring the freedom
found in Jesus, the reprise at the latter part is a blast.
The title track The Rock Won’t
Move is elegant in its folky instrumentality; a modern remake of Edward
Mote’s renown hymn Solid Rock, putting new touches to the lines “On Christ the
Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand..” Meredith Andrew’s soul-stirring
Worthy, Worthy is the ultimate worship song in the album. My heart is
pounding as I listen to it. Her sustaining high-pitch soprano voice will surely
give any listener chills.Songs with this theme on God’s holiness &
worthiness are memorable and easy to follow because of their simplicity in
lyrical contents.
Another folky track is I Will
Follow You; a song of commitment, submission and total surrender. This song
is not for the lukewarm Christians, and those who don’t want to step out of
their comfort zones. Never sing this song if you’re not yet ready to deny
yourself and to take up your cross to follow Him.
To emphasize more the theme of
the album, Strong To Save exhorts the saving power of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The entirety is a full blast which makes it the best track in the
album. Parallel in this concept is Meredith’s Strong God. I've reviewed
Jon Egan’s rendition of this song from New Life Worship’s latest album of this
title, and I must say they’re just the same.Call On The Name is perfect
for personal devotions and soaking sessions.
As soon as you reach the last two
songs of the album—Only Jesus Can and He Has Won, you’ll be
delighted to listen to these two tracks over and over again. The next
generation worshipers would love the rhythm, energy and enthusiasm of each of
these tracks.
Overall, The Rock Won’t Move is
one of the best modern worship albums I've ever encountered; an ideal album for
multi-generational congregations. The songs that are captured in this record
are bold declarations of faith and solid trust to our Solid Rock—the Rock won’t
move, the Rock of Ages. With its dynamic and various musical styles and sounds,
there is no doubt that this album could resource the church for years and
generations to come.
ABOUT VCB
Vertical Church isn’t the name of a church. It is an idea. The idea that worshiping Jesus Christ is best done not when we just sing about Him or what He has done or what He will do in the future. The highest and best worship is modeled by what the angels do: sing to God about God. Vertical.
Vertical Church Band is a collection of people who play every week in places all over Chicago land as part of Harvest Bible Chapel, a place that believes singing isn’t a warm-up for the sermon; singing is a warm-up for heaven. So the faces may change. The style may evolve. But the aim will stay the same. Vertical.
ABOUT PROVIDENT LABEL GROUP/ESSENTIAL WORSHIP
Provident Label Group is a division of Sony Music Entertainment focusing primarily on Christian music in Franklin, Tennessee. The group handles its own physical distribution through its Provident-Integrity Distribution service. Provident Label Group is affiliated byForeFront Records, Sparrow Records, and Tooth & Nail Records. Essential Worship is a community for worship leaders and teams. A place to share in conversation about songs for the church....a place to have a voice.
Disclosure: I received free review copy of the album in exchange of my honest review and opinion.
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