Review

Ok, someone forgot to 'unplug' this acoustic worship album. In fact, you'll have to strain a little to even pick out an acoustic guitar in the first few tracks on this recording. The electric solos are blistering, the distorted rhythm guitars are grooving and the tube amps are screaming...but, isn't this supposed to be 'Acoustic Worship'? Well...yes, it is, and for the most part, it really is an acoustic worship record. In fact, it's a very good acoustic worship record, but the purists will have to sit through the opening electric-heavy tracks to get to the unplugged sections.

The wait, thankfully, is truly worth it. 'Rock Of Refuge' is the fourth installment in Hosanna's new acoustic series and features live versions of some of the label's best songs performed by the original songwriters. The song list is impressive, as is the list of worship leaders. Fitts, Evans, Baloche, and Brewster sing some of their most recent songs of worship set, for the most part, to great acoustic music.

For some though, perception is everything. When you see the little acoustic guitar on the cover, even read the title 'Acoustic Worship', you may be expecting to hear a CD featuring warm guitar tones performed in a quiet coffee-house setting, much like the Cafe Series from Vineyard. If you're looking for something that is 100% unplugged and features nothing but the simple, stripped down arrangements of vocal and instrument, then you might be thrown off by the full band treatment of some of the album's tracks.

Granted, there are quite a few great unplugged moments of worship here, such as Lynn DeShazo's 'Everything Within Me' on track 3 and 'Your Love Is Extravagant' by Darrell Evans, and most of the second half of this CD. It may have made things easier had the few electric songs been buried a little deeper on the disc, so that the real acoustic gems here could've risen to the surface and had a chance to shine more. Perhaps then the more aggressive tracks would be palatable when couched between the genuine acoustic worship tracks here.

In the end, 'Rock Of Refuge' is a great worship record that contains great live and (mostly) acoustic versions of some really wonderful songs like 'I Was Created' and 'My Soul Is Satisfied' performed by some of the most talented worship leaders alive today. So, it may not be 100% unplugged. Get over it. Get 'Rock Of Refuge' and crank the worship to eleven.

Review by Keith Giles