Review

We are indelibly tied to those who have preceded us in the Christian faith. One of our ties is to the music that has preceded us. Certainly not all the sacred music that has gone before is worth being "tied" to. But there are certain songs that stand the test of time, musically and lyrically. There are certain songs of ages past that were birthed in a spirit of worship and still carry that spirit of worship into this generation.

Not only do I love the worship music of today, I also love the worship music of the past. There is something of the unity of the body of Christ that happens when we lift our hearts singing the melodies and lyrics that Christians of centuries gone by have sung. I believe the "great crowd of witnesses" in Hebrews 12 joins us in praise to the Almighty.

Bridges provides our generation with a new look at some old classics. To quote from the cover: "Bridges offers inspiring new arrangements of traditional hymns that will be a musical bridge between churchgoers who long for the tradition and depth of the old hymns, and those who prefer a more modern style of worship."

For the most part, the arrangements are acoustically driven which makes them reasonably accessible to today's musicians. Todd Agnew delivers a bit more of a "rock" sound on "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us." Ginny Owens delivers an awesome vocal on "Be Thou My Vision", one of my all time favorite hymns. "Fairest Lord Jesus", "Come Thou Fount", "It Is Well With My Soul" You won't find very many of the classics absent from this album.

And last, but not least, the "Doxology". I guarantee you that your grandma never sang it this way. I'm not sure I could reproduce this arrangement for congregational singing, but I loved listening to it. To hear the powerful vocal of Marc Byrd and back up vocals belting out the notes of one of the most widely recognized pieces of music in church history was a joy.

If you are a hymn lover like me, this album is for you. When you listen to the album, see if you can hear "history" singing in the background.

Review by Danny Mullins