Review

A very fresh wind is blowing over the contemporary worship scene. And that's a good thing. One of the challenges facing worship leaders and songwriters that write about Jesus, is that that there is nothing new under the sun. So, we always need people to take the timeless themes and invigorate them with new melodies and new hooks that capture our imagination.

Leeland does that with 11 songs on their first album. As I listen to it, I find the vocal styling and musical phrasing reminiscent of several bands of my youth. I won't mention them here, because my youth is a time long ago and I'm sure that what influenced Leeland Mooring were sounds that were, generationally, a few hops removed from, let's say, Electric Light Orchestra. Alright, there, I said it... I'm a product of the 60s and 70s. I read in their own biography that their influences are Travis, the Doves, Delirious, Coldplay and Godfrey Birtill. Whoever you're reminded of, what Leeland brings is sure to touch hearts for the Father.

The song that touched me the most came at the end of the album. "Carried to the Table" describes a broken man, fully aware of his condition, being picked up and carried to the banquet. The chorus goes like this:

"I was carried to the table, carried where I don't belong.
Carried to the table, swept away by His love.
And I don't see my brokenness anymore.
When I'm seated at the table of the Lord
I'm carried to the table, the table of the Lord".

It's a very powerful song, and I can see a great video of it in my head. I would use it for communion. And the ending of the song is something that I treasure. The voices break into a little vamp of "You carried me, my Lord. You carried me". And it builds into a great crescendo, bringing the focus from us (if we're singing along) to "You, Lord", and in a very celebratory way.

The term "vertically oriented" has been used to describe Leeland's music. In worship context, that means that the song is played "up" to God, rather than "across" (horizontally) to us. Singing songs to God, telling Him, in first person language, how you feel about Him, the characteristics that you acknowledge of Him, etc..., is different than singing songs to the audience or congregation, about God and how you feel about Him.

If you thought your Dad was the greatest dad and you wanted to write a song to tell him, you'd write to him. You'd sing "Dad, your love for me is amazing, and I love you so much". If, however, you wanted someone else to know about your Dad, you'd phrase it a bit differently. Perhaps you'd sing "My Dad is an awesome dad, he keeps me out of trouble, and I really love him so".

The point here is that we have many kinds of songs being sung at our churches, in our homes, in our cars, on our IPods. Many of the songs heard on the radio today are songs about us in relationship with God. I'm thinking of "I Can Only Imagine", for one. What a huge hit and I think it resonates with people, to some degree, because the subject of the song is "I". While we cannot ever get away from the fact that God is in relationship with us (so singing about the relationship has great meaning), we must never forsake the true vertical adoration songs that worship the God of all life, giving Him honor and praise and glory and strength, which is His due.

I see this album, and perhaps Leeland's ministry, as well, as evangelistic. Evangelistic worship songs are a clarion call to others to "come and check this out". And Leeland connects with a generation that is looking for something real, something authentic. On "Lift Your Eyes", they sing:

"You can look in your head and find no answer, you can look in your heart and find no hope"... "You can lift your eyes, come on to the cross".

This is a great example of empathy with what people go through (sensitive to the fact that people are looking for something) and then passionately saying, hey, take a look at this, this is what I've come to know.

So, is it a worship album, or an evangelistic outreach album? I think there are elements of both. Both ways, they're great songs, and, like I said, don't sound like everything else out there. Check it out. This won't be the last you hear from Leeland

Review by John Ausmus