Review

Recorded live at a Global Awakening Conference in St. Louis, "Catch the Wind" is an eclectic collection of worship songs, (mostly from the Eaglestar/Morningstar stable), that captures an evening of powerful ministry time and exuberant worship.

Those that expect a polished, professional CD intended to compete on a commercial level with Integrity or Vineyard will be greatly disappointed with Gary Shelton's version of these songs. It could easily be said that, "There's nothing new here" since most of these songs are as old as 1997 and not one of them is original with this recording.

What is original, and even compelling, about "Catch the Wind" is the sweet spirit of the worship leaders, the simple adoration and humility embedded in each song of love to Jesus.

The songs range in style from wild Irish jigs to Jamaican reggae to old-fashioned southern fried rock and roll, at times even blending these extremes together within the same song. The musicians are talented and do a great job of communicating the excitement of the moment, still it would have been great to hear these songs recorded with more attention to the engineering and sonics necessary to bring the full sound quality up a notch or two.

Some of the songs can also become monotonous at times as they nudge into the twelve or thirteen minute marks, causing the casual listener to grow tired and skip to the next track. But, it couldn't be more obvious that Gary Shelton's aim here is NOT to provide happy music for any "casual worshipper of God", but to a room full of people who are willing, even yearning, to spend hours and hours at a time dancing, singing, screaming and shouting honor and glory and power to the Lord of Hosts. In fact, the worship is so lengthy that it spans two CDs, with the second being reserved for those who own a PC to view as a CD-Rom.

This CD is recommended primarily for those who are curious about the Morningstar style of worship, or for anyone who is concerned more for the true heart of worship than for excellent production values.

Review by Keith Giles