Review

Everyone’s always looking for the “Next Big Thing”. In the realm of worship, it’s all about the songs. Our radar is always tuned for the next “I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever” or “Shout To The Lord”. We never know when we’ll pop in a CD or turn on the radio (if we’re lucky) and hear the next Delirious, Sonic Flood or Darlene Zschech. For those of us who have been wondering where the next great worship songs will come from, Maranatha has released the seven best worship songs you’ve never heard.

Most of these songs are penned by small town worship leaders or bands around the nation who’ve recorded their own demos out of a desire to document the songs they’ve written to the Lord. Two of the songs on “Seven” have appeared on previous Maranatha releases like “Passage” and “Analogue”, but the other five are culled from the self-released projects of those who penned them. While most collections are eclectic by nature, Seven manages to blend these disparate tracks into a singularly enjoyable disc.

“A Thousand Words” by Thirsty Child stands out as a great, and simple, worship ballad as it declares, “I lay down my life/ I surrender it all/ With everything I am I tell you again/ that I love you/ A thousand words could never express/ The feeling I have in my heart/ All I can do is tell you again/ That I love you”. “Resting Place” by Jon Buller offers up a hushed piano and acoustic sentiment that says, “As a child I will sing/ As your child I will love you/ With my heart I will worship/ I found my resting place in you/ With my heart I will worship/ I found my resting place in you”.

Seven, while short in length, makes up in quality what it lacks in quantity. While, most of these songs are probably aimed at younger audience, but there’s nothing here that’s beyond the reach of the typical Sunday Morning worship experience. That’s a compliment, by the way. These are just simply good worship songs and worshippers of any age bracket or demographic should find themselves able to sing along and tap their feet to the beat.

Review by Keith Giles