Review

This compilation recording of independent worship leaders and recording artists collects an eclectic mix of talent in one fourteen track disc. Some may question whether or not Rita Springer, Marie Barnett, Worship Circus or The Violet Burning qualify as true independents, but their presence on this disc does not overshadow the other artists, blending well with the high-quality work of those whose names you might not be as familiar with. Eclectic is a good word to describe this collection. SOULARAIZE more than covers the bases when it comes to styles and genres of what worship can be expressed by musically. From pop and techno to electronica and acoustic rock, the entire gamut of worship is felt and explored here.

Things kick off with "Glorify The Son" by The Rock and Roll Worship Circus, which is one of their more quiet songs of reflection. This is followed by newcomer Johnny Park's song, "God Of Great Things", an upbeat worship tune with a great hook. Things slow down pretty quickly when Rita Springer sings "About God" on the third track, but pick up again with the power-pop worship of "You Are Holy" by One Hundred Hours and then the gorgeous track, "Clean" by The Violet Burning leads us into the mello-techno praise of "Connect" by DJ Kenny Mitchell (which is largely instrumental).

The second half of the disc kicks off with Rick Leaf and the excellent song, "Everyday". In fact, this song took me by surprise at first and I had to check the credits to find out who it really was. Vocally this is some of the best stuff on this project. Heather Clark's song "Kiss Of His Mouth" is a quiet song of tremulous intimacy that sets things up nicely for Todd Proctor's rollicking "Stir In Me", where Proctor sings, "Stir in me passion that my heart cannot contain, because I come to worship you". The exquisite Marie Barnett follows with "Wall Of The World", a moody, slow-burning love song that longingly yearns for more of God's presence from behind the barriers that separate us from the spiritual plane. Scott Brenner, whom many readers may remember from the second half of Vineyard's "Before You Now", sings a very reverent "The Kingdom And The Power", followed by Josh Fox and his song, "Beside Me".

The final two tracks here may be the most indicative of what you would expect to hear on an "indie" worship cd. Spirit Garage, a Lutheran church band from Minneapolis, displays a smoky blues-based song ("Acts 10") and reveals a Zeppelin-esque riff halfway through that fits surprisingly well. FoldZan, (the band formerly known as Fold Zandura and even more formerly as Mortal), holds the final spot down with a track guaranteed to make you either crank it up or reach for the liner notes to learn moreor both. An electronica-infused rock tune, "King Planet", declares "You are the mystic man, you are the promised lamb, you walk the silver sand of stars, you're shining. You are the atmosphere, you are the music clear, you are the golden tier, and you are king planet...bring back the tilt and angle, bring back the former design, the time when you were king and all the planets aligned" and somehow the metaphor works.

If nothing else, SOULARIZE succeeds at offering a true sampling of some of the best worship songs and songwriters you've most likely never heard before. For that alone, it's well worth checking out, especially if you're always looking for new, fresh and original songs of worship.

Review by Keith Giles