Review

Matt Redman has a new CD! For the majority of you, that’s pretty much the only review you’ll need to read. But, for the rest of you, I’ll write a little further about it. Matt Redman has purposefully avoided the rock star status achieved by many of his contemporaries. Like Cindy Rethmeier or Graham Kendrick, Redman has successfully remained a songwriter who is more than comfortable with simply seeking to worship God in the background, rather than to seek the popularity of the spotlight. Not that the spotlight doesn’t follow him. Redman has lead worship in front of thousands of young people in Nations around the globe. Yet, this only makes his effort to avoid the term “Rock Star” even more commendable. The songs on this latest release continue the legacy of humble worship found on previous recordings. The opening song, “Grace” moves into worship with a chorus that will have you singing “That’s what so amazing about your Grace” for hours after only hearing it once. From there the CD flows into a peaceful set of worship songs with “Blessed Be Your Name,” “Befriended,” and “When My Heart Runs Dry.” When Redman gets to “Making Melody” things kick up a notch as he sings, “How can hearts not love your name? / How can souls not sing your praise?” and the full band joins him in a rollicking worship song that celebrates…well, the joy of worshipping God. Every song here feels as if it has been born out of an intense quiet time before the throne. Redman has a way of making you feel like you’re “listening in” on his personal worship moments and “Where Angels Fear To Tread” continues this sense of vicarious adoration. Anyone who loves the worship found on any of the “Passion” recordings, or who enjoys most modern worship CDs will certainly find that this newest release from Redman to be one of the more memorable CDs of the year. For those few of you who might not be familiar with Redman, let me just assure you that he is one of the best, and most consistent songwriters and worship leaders the Church has seen in the last decade. For those who are already hungry for the next set of Redman songs….IT’S HERE!!

Review by: Keith Giles