Review

As the voice that first brought the song, "Hungry" to the world, there is a staggering amount of expectation placed upon the shoulders of Kathryn Scott. Thankfully, she more than delivers on this, her first solo offering, recorded live at Portstewart Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland, with producers Brian Doerksen and Philip Janz. "Satisfy" is immediately engaging, arresting and memorable.

Kicking things off with "Heaven Is Our Home", Kathryn's gorgeous voice conveys a sense of urgency as she sings, "No more sin and no more shame/ We are going where the streets are made of gold/ No more tears for they'll be wiped away/ We are going where the streets are made of gold/ And if we just could see/ One glimpse of what will be/ We'd run to win this race/ Living our lives by faith".  There is so much promise on this excellent disc that repeated listenings are almost certainly guaranteed. Kathryn is not only a fantastic worship leader and vocalist, but the songs she has penned here are equally as good as her own now-legendary "Hungry".

There is a lot to like here. Her songs "Search Me And Know", "You're Good Lord" and "Worthy Is The Lamb" are instant classics, especially "Breathe On Me Now" where she sings, "When my soul has cried its tears /And my heart begins to faint/ Will You draw near/ Will You meet with me/ When my days are filled with longing /And my spirit groans and waits/ Will You draw near/ Will You meet with me. I'm calling and waiting, Your presence Lord is life to me/ Breathe on me now as I bow down/ I'm desperate Lord for more of You/ Come satisfy until I Am even more in need of You". You will find it hard to deny the power of these words, and even harder not to lift your voice and sing along.

Worship leaders will no doubt find themselves scribbling down more than a few song titles to search out lead sheets for. Thankfully, this enhanced CD includes chord charts and lyric text files for four of the songs, with charts and lyrics for most of the remaining songs available free from the publisher online.

Song after song, Scott reveals a naked passion for Christ and a heart tuned to worship with abandon. The aptly-titled "Satisfy" is a plentiful portion of exceptional praise from a song-writer who turns in an astounding first collection of transparently beautiful worship.  As we stand near the verge of another year, this first solo recording from Kathryn Scott is a serious contender for worship album of the year, in my humble opinion.

The amazing display of talent found here on "Satisfy" is more than enough to establish Kathryn Scott as a worship leader with a true calling to minister to the nations and a voice to match.

Review by Keith Giles