Open

Jason Morant | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 30, 2006)
• Original Release Date: May 30, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Integrity Music/Vertical
• ASIN: B000FZZTRE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,484 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. You’re In Love

2. Open

3. Come Let Us Return

4. I Will Run

5. Make Us One

6. You're In Love

7. Holy

8. Offering

9. Postlude

10. Belong

11. Abba

12. 51st

13. Veils

14. Display My Love

15. All Of Me

16. At Your Feet

17. Hosanna

Editorial Reviews

For most of his life, 24-year-old singer songwriter Jason Morant has been a part of New Orleans, its Church, and its music. His second release, open, underscores the artist’s gift for melody, as colorful and textured as the city he’s from. It’s equal parts rock, pop, folk, and worship; he’s inspired by all of it. open honors the city’s musical diversity through rich instrumentation that includes ambient strings and horns, along with piano, dobro, banjo, and accordion. Lyrically, Jason exposes his range too, delving into personal subject matter and addressing the Church on issues near to his heart.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Weaving Music to the Maker!, July 5, 2006

By 

Jon Wymore "jnwymore" (Midland, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Open (Audio CD)

This release by Jason Morant is truly a unique worship experience! Jason takes styles from his first album and melds in more folk, british pop as well some rock and experimental sounds all to lyrics filled with worship! The album has a very ambient sound to it and sometimes sounds almost dreamy and full of air, but that all adds to the huge amount of worship that is displayed. It sounds like it just flows into a room.

Jason's lyrics have a real depth to them on this album. Take the songs Veils which says, "What will it take to be closer to You? Show me what stands in my way. Strip away all of the veils on my heart Lord. You know that I want just to look at Your face." Many of the songs display this passion to be face to face with Jesus including, 'I Will Run', 'Offering' and the intimate 'Abba'.

Jason also has a couple of songs that point the Church toward opening the doors for the poor and needy. Check out the words of the title track 'Open': "It's time for something more real than all these words. While the least of these are broken and dying. It's time to live in love. Open up your doors, let the Son shine out into the night you're hiding from, let your hearts bleed with love. Love's the only voice that's heard, so let your love be heard." Wow! 'Come Let Us Return' is also another call to return to Him so the world will hear and realize who the King is!

Not only are is their so much lyrical depth of worship in this album but the arrangements of the songs are beautiful. Jason mixes in not just guitars and piano, but also dobro, banjo and accordion. The unique mix of the flavors of music and instruments give it that unique sound.

He also adds very unique melodies to each of the songs. The songs are not written to be sung by a congregation since they do soar at many points, but the unfamiliarity of the melodies really grows on you. This adds just one more depth of uniqueness to the album. There is a definite similarity between the melodies on this CD and that of Phil Wickham (and you can hear the Coldplay influence as well), but Jason stretches the boundaries even more!

The music is soothing to listen to and the presence of God can be felt as you soak in and join the worship Jason offers to the throne of God. This album has everything and with 16 songs on it, it is more than worth the purchase! I cannot recommend this CD enough. The style may not fit everyone but this is truly one of the best albums of the year!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Substance, January 21, 2008

By 

Mark Rockwell (Salisbury, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Open (Audio CD)

Essentially, BELONG is a mini-collection of rekindled, reinterpreted tracks from OPEN. I first fell in love with OPEN while listening to samples of the album when it was featured as a staff pick on iTunes some time ago. It is a rare occurrence when I purchase a whole album on a whim without any prior exposure to an artist, but, this was a complete impulse buy based on my first listen to a couple of 30-second song snippets. More than a year later, it is still a favorite on my ipod and in my car.

In trying to characterize the style and mood of OPEN, I can say that it is not pop, but, does feature layered melodies amongst more solitary undertones in a manner slightly reminiscent of Coldplay, but, with a New Orleans tint. Infectious and addictive? Yes, but, thanks to the lyrics, the listener's thoughts are effectively focused on the substantive, yet basic, foundation that Christ laid out and that Christians should be known for, throughout the album: servitude through Love. In the title track, Open, Morant sings:

Its time for something more real than all these words
While the least of these are broken and dying
We count the pearls in our purse
It's time to live in love
So open up your doors
Let the Son shine out into the night you're hiding from
Let your hearts bleed with love because when all is said and done
Love's the only voice that's heard

Like in Open, the lyrics throughout the album do a tremendous job of focusing the listener's attention on non-denominational, Christ-centered issues that cut to the chase of what Christ really wants from us. The songs aren't about sentimentality, or overused, lifeless Christian wordplay. Morant sincerely sings about seeking in desperation, finding, and displaying gratitude to God through service to "the least of these."

The 2007 release of the BELONG EP brought fresh versions of a few of OPEN's tracks, namely Open, Offering, Belong, and Display My Love. In comparison to the original versions found on the OPEN LP, each of the reworked tracks exude more solitary tones, but, in a manner that amplifies the power of each song. Each of the EP's tracks were appropriately seasoned with time since their original release.

I think that, for me, it is the wondrous marriage of articulate, focused lyrics with music that bleeds artistic integrity in a Christian music market that too often showcases so much less. Morant, is relatively under the radar of popular Christian music, but, that is the fault of the Christian music market machine and a testament to the substance of Morant's music. I would find it hard to believ that he's out there to sell T-shirts and become another ironic Christian celebrity. His music is less like the fast food snack-style of music so predominant in contemporary music and more like a gourmet meal meant to be savored and enjoyed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great album by Jason Morant, November 17, 2010

By 

g p - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Open (Audio CD)

This is the 4th album I've bought by Jason Morant. He never ceases to amaze me with his contemporary style of worship and originality. I didn't even know this album was coming out and bought it immediately without even listening to it first.

Great buy!