For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.' (Acts 13:47)
Posted by solomon On September - 7 - 20102 COMMENTS
Artist: Brett Younker Album: The New Has Come Release Date: 2010 Style: Pop / Rock / Indie
Location: Atlanta, GA
About:
Brett Younker is a Christian worship leader and songwriter, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Through his songs and worship leading, Brett’s heart is for people to see and experience the fullness of God in their lives. Inspired by the A.W. Tozer quote, “Whatever comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us,” he hopes to lead people to know God and respond to the greatness of who God is and what He has done.
Encouraged by his youth pastor to use his gifting to change the world, Brett started leading worship in high school. He continued to lead in various places and after graduating college he moved to New York City to be a full-time worship leader in a local church. In the last 2 years, Brett has been leading for a variety of churches, student ministries, and conferences such as North Point Ministries, North Metro Church, and Student Life Camps. Currently, Brett and his wife, Aynsley, are a part of passioncitychurch, in Atlanta.
Brett’s debut record, This is Life, was produced by Jason Hoard, who also produced We Shine by Fee. Steve Fee says, “Brett is a trustworthy worship leader to place before students. He has a passion for worship and is able to lead others to experience Christ.”
Track Listing:
01. King Forever
02. Bless Your Name
03. All Things New
04. Our God
05. New Creation
06. Alive and Running
07. Yes to You
08. Holiness
09. Arms Open Wide
10. Rise and Sing
Posted by solomon On September - 7 - 20101 COMMENT
Artist: Athlete Album: Vehicles & Animals Release Date: May 18, 2004 Style: Indie / Soft Rock Label: Astralwerks Records
Location: Deptford, London
About:
Since bouncing to prominence seven years ago with the spirited, electro-tinged, indie-pop of their Mercury-nominated debut, ‘Vehicles And Animals’, Athlete have established themselves among the UK’s finest songsmiths. The south east Londoners have sold more than a million copies of their three hit albums (the other two being 2005’s ‘Tourist’ and 2007’s ‘Beyond The Neighbourhood’); packed out venues across the land; picked up an Ivor Novello award; and topped both the UK’s album and airplay charts.
‘Black Swan’, their fourth album, is a musical summary of everything Athlete have been through; the good, the bad and the ugly. But although its songs burn with literate emotion, this certainly isn’t a downbeat record. In fact, the album begins with the hurtling FM rush of glorious first single, ‘Superhuman Touch’, which catapults the album into life with the opening line, “I’m on fire and nothing’s gonna hold me back”.
The album reaches its climax with ‘The Awkward Goodbye’, an intensely personal tale of love slipping away; the snappy ‘Magical Mistakes’, a giddy gush of proud, parental love; and ‘Rubik’s Cube’ which, according to Joel, “Sums everything up. It’s about puzzling through life, working it out as you go along and having to deal with its uncertainties. That’s the magic of life, really.”
Track Listing:
01. El Salvador
02. Westside
03. One Million
04. Shake Those Windows
05. Beautiful
06. New Project
07. You Got the Style
08. Vehicles & Animals
09. Out of Nowhere
10. Dungeness
11. You Know
12. Le Casio
Posted by Matthew On September - 6 - 20101 COMMENT
Artist: Sarah Kelly Album: Midnight Sun Release Date:Sepember 7th, 2010 Style: Pop / Folk / Indie / Rock Label: Sweekman Records Location: The Woodlands, TX
About:
Since the release of her debut, Take Me Away, on Gotee Records, Sarah Kelly has been a sort of hidden treasure in the worship music circle. Her sophomore record leaned more towards a classic rock record with less of a focus on vertical worship, but all that changed again with 2008’s more accessible pop worship approach, Born To Worship. Now, Kelly is without the label support from Gotee as she releases her fourth album, Midnight Sun, carrying on the heart to worship, but returning more to the sound established on her debut as well.
Midnight Sun gets off to a wonderfully strong start right out of the gate with “Live Every Love Song.” As the album continues the indie pop sound into “Standing On My Knees” and the beautiful title track, each song captures the artist’s worshipful heart and the introspective nature of her sophomore album Where The Past Meets Today in the process. “Stolen My Heart” may be the first straight forward worship track on Midnight Sun, with its personal, classic Kelly spin (“But the best came and left me / And I took a fall somehow but I’m standing taller now / You lift my head, re-move my heart / It’s You I needed from the start / You have stolen my heart”), but it’s after these songs that the album really begins to shift gears rather drastically. “Good Day” may be the ugly duckling of the ten tracks, opting for a more rock approach, but more in the same bubbly vein as “Brand New Day” and the title track from her last album, Born To Worship. Unfortunately, while it captures the genuine joy and optimism of God’s grace and redemption that Kelly so boldly embraces and wears on her delicate sleeves, it feels rather misplaced among the rest of the songs, which often bear a more serious tone. “Lift You Up” follows, also with an edgier rock vibe, but does a much better job capturing Sarah’s passion for rock with a tasty groove and vertical lyrics of thanks and praise (“I just want to thank You for all you’ve done for me / We lift You up / We lift You higher”). Kelly’s vocals soar here, using her talents better than on its preceding track, and the electronic elements are much more effective (ever so slightly bringing to mind the kind of delightfully fuzzy synths you might hear from Family Force 5).
After Kelly’s unashamed rock interlude, she heads into a series of worship originals for the masses, starting with “Day and Night.” Musically, again, it’s more of a mix of her debut and her previous effort, Born To Worship, capturing a more accessible worship sound. Kelly also softens her vocals from her usual, signature soulful approach. The songs still work, especially on a corporate worship level, and those who might not usually like her raspy rocker gal vocal style will likely find this latter half of the record more appealing. “Always Undeniable” and “Surely Goodness” follow suit and are catchy worship anthems that would sound great added into any Sunday morning service. To close, Sarah returns to the piano for the more soulful “How Much You Love,” ending Midnight Sun in a beautiful, intimate, and worshipful way (“Father and friend, with You I am safe in the same hands / That painted the stars when time began / Help me to understand / How much You love me / How You’re always thinking of me”).
In 2005, Kelly’s then label mate John Reuben sought out to create two different projects — one more cynical and dark, and one more upbeat and happy. The label decided to have Reuben combine the best tracks from both albums and The Boy Vs The Cynic was the end result. While I wouldn’t say that Kelly has such a broad spectrum of themes on Midnight Sun, the album does feel a little bit like two different projects that were combined into one ten-track journey. Kelly proves she can write songs for the church with the best of them, however, her greatest strength seems to lie with the songs that are personal, intimate, and out of the box. Midnight Sun represents the many layers and versatility of Sarah Kelly as an artist and worshipper, but simultaneously feels more like a compilation than a cohesive album.
Still, by the time her the strings fade out on the album’s piano ballad finale, Sarah Kelly has done it again. As she continues to bridge the gap between the over-saturated sameness that makes up the majority of what we consider “worship music” today with art and heart, Midnight Sun offers a little bit for everyone. Maybe Kelly’s fourth effort may have benefited from a more focused and consistent approach, it’s difficult to say, but anyone looking for something fresh and thought-provoking, with the likelyhood of stirring the heart towards worship, Midnight Sun is well worth giving a listen and sharing with the Church.
Review by jesusfreakhideout.com
Reviews & Opinions:
“My precious Sarah, when I listen to Live Every Love Song, it reaches into my soul and inspires me to rise to every occasion and to appreciate every gift of each new day, which leaves less room to complain and worry. God bless the release of your new album Midnight Sun! love you!” – her friend and sister, Kyle
“What a beautiful song, I love your voice. God is so good, His gifts are without repentance. Thank you for exercising your gift. I am interested in having you come to our little area. email me with info . My husband and I organize retreats which I would like you for a womans retreat, we also organize concerts anyway please let me know.” - Rebecca
“Just listening to the short clip, I can already tell this song speaks to my heart, right where I’m at. I lost my dad, my best friend, 3 days before Christmas ‘09 and it was sudden, tragic. I did not have the chance to reach him, to say goodbye…and the devastation, grief and loss surely felt like I was swept away… Eight months later…I can honestly say, I am beginning to let God breathe new life through this broken heart. Here I am…with some distance between now and then…the dust in some ways is settling…and those chorus words hit me strong…I’m still standing on my knees. Thank you JEsus for not giving up on me…for holding me quietly through this pain… And again, as always, thank you Sarah for your gutt honesty–it inspires me to hang on, to fight…” - Natalie
Track Listing:
1. Live Every Love Song
2. Standing On My Knees
3. Midnight Sun
4. Stolen My Heart
5. Good Day
6. Lift You Up
7. Day And Night
8. Always Undeniable
9. Surely Goodness
10. How Much You Love
Artist: Deas Vail Album: Under Our Skin [B-Sides] (EP) Release Date: August 24th, 2010 Style: Alternative / Rock / Indie Label: Mono Vs Stereo / Gotee Records Location: Russelville, AR
About:
“Can you tell me that the page will turn itself and take us somewhere else?” Wes Blaylock sings on the latest Deas Vail album Birds & Cages. The longing sentiment of this simple but open-ended line is at the heart of a dozen songs that take on Everest-sized questions about freedom, love, hope, fear, transformation and just what it means to become a better human being.
If that seems like a tall order for a modern rock album, Deas Vail make their soul-searching inquiries sound exhilarating, with swooning choruses, sparkly panoramic arrangements and lyrics that flirt with darkness but ultimately tilt towards optimism. “The record definitely has a lot of question marks in it,” Blaylock says with a chuckle. “Iʼm a firm believer in asking big questions. I feel like sometimes people go through life and theyʼre timid or afraid to ask questions because they donʼt want to be judged. Iʼm trying to write as honestly and personally as I can, and itʼs kind of scary for me.”
The boldness of the questions resonated with Blaylockʼs four bandmates when they convened in their practice space in Russellville, Arkansas to write material for their fifth record. “As we were working on the songs, this theme of bondage versus freedom came up,” Blaylock recalls. “We called the record Birds & Cages because we felt like we were just stuck in these cages in life. Yet there was freedom there, just beyond. The songs are about the search for freedom and release from all the cages.”
Deas Vail write their songs together, and Blaylock is quick to praise his bandmates for what they bring to the table. “Kelsey is absolutely the backbone of the group. Iʼve never known a drummer more consistent. Justin our bass player definitely brings more of a rock element. It gives us a little more energy, and helps me from being overly dark. My wife Laura plays keyboards and helps a lot with melodies. Both she and our guitarist Andy are the best at being constructively critical. They always have a broader perspective on the songs. Thereʼs just a beautiful amount of grace and patience among the members of our band. We all help each other.”
The two songs that give the album its evocative title may be the most memorable the band has yet composed. Blaylock calls the anthemic “Cages” “the one heʼs most proud of on the record,” while of “Birds” he says, “Over the last couple years, churches have come to look more like businesses to me than anything. So itʼs about finding truth amongst all of these complications. Or just finding yourself even in a corporate group of people who share the same beliefs. We as humans just complicate everything. Everything gets watered down or foggy. Thereʼs just so much sediment everywhere that we really canʼt see the goal or the big picture.”
There is indeed a feeling of emotional release in the sweeping contours of openers “The Things You Were,” “Growing Pains” and “Excuses,” with Blaylock pushing his skyscraping wonder of a voice up, over and around shining mists of guitars, pounding drums and dramatic strings. This elegant buoyancy is the sonic thread that runs throughout the record. Even when the mood shifts, from the autumnal chamber pop of “Dance In Perfect Time” through prog-influenced gear- shifter “The Great Physician” to the delicate music box pirouette of “Puzzles and Pieces,” there is a sense that, for all the uncertainty, the search for something more will be rewarded.
And helping the band on Birds & Cages is returning producer Mark Townsend (Relient K, House of Heroes), who infuses the tracks with pristine clarity and old school warmth. “Mark has a really clear head and a very focused vision,” says Blaylock, “and he knows how to capture what we want to capture in the songs. Just the little things he does make a huge difference – deciding what tempos to make songs so that they feel exactly in the pocket, keeping everything perfectly in tune and always getting the best performance out of us.” When Deas Vail (which translates as “humble servant”) formed in 2003, Blaylock says the goal was to back his own acoustic singer-songwriter project, with no bigger picture in mind than friends having fun. “We didnʼt think weʼd be doing it professionally years later,” Blaylock says. But two albums, two EPs and a few member changes later, the band has matured into a formidably tight unit. “The rapport and chemistry has gotten deeper,” he says. “Weʼve gotten braver, and we felt like on this album, we werenʼt in any boxes and we could just do whatever we wanted. Be experimental and try different ideas, move forward and do new things. Weʼre still growing, still writing better songs.”
As Deas Vail looks ahead to a near-future of touring and more touring, Blaylock says he hopes that Birds & Cages might bring listeners “a sense of relief, a breath, a rejuvenation in their own lives.” “I feel like thatʼs a whole lot to ask,” he admits, “but then weʼve gotten feedback from fans over the years, and they say, ʻI was going through a rough time in my life, and I listened to this song of yours and it really helped me get through.ʼ I canʼt even describe what an amazing feeling that is – that this little band from Arkansas can write these songs, put them out there, and then somebody can be encouraged or feel like itʼs little easier to get through life because of this music. It would be amazing if we could continue to help people in that way.”
Track Listing:
1. Under Our Skin
2. All Eyes Are On You Now
![Deas Vail - Under Our Skin [B-Sides] [EP] (2010)](http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/175/underourskinbsides.jpg)
