Customer Reviews

Passion: Hymns Ancient & Modern

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While I appreciate some of the music that has been coming out of the Praise & Worship movement over the past few years, some of it is simply poor theology and too man-centered. That is not the case in this CD by Passion. The hymns of old and new are blended together and yet all glory and honor is given to our holy God in this collection. While traditionalist will not enjoy the upbeat tempo of some of the hymns, the modernist will enjoy the music as well as the God-honoring words of the great hymns of the faith.

What a relief to see the classic hymns coming back. So many younger pastors are seeing the need to glorify God and not just draw a crowd by using music. How we need biblical songs to come back and draw us near to our God in holiness and awe. Thanks Passion for doing this with this CD.

I have been waiting for a CD like this for years. Having grown up in a conservative church environment, I have always had an affinity for the hymns that we sang in my youth in the old stuffy church that lacked AC. I connect with God through them not only because of the link to my past, but also because they are much more musically and lyrically deep than many of today's worship songs.

The problem is that until this release from Passion, most hymn compilations that I had encountered were directed more towards the "mature" crowd (e.g. major usage of pipe organs or cheesy background vocals.) This release marries the old songs that I love with artists I have grown to love from other Passion CDs, including David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, and Charlie Hall.

These renditions are amazing, and I am still getting tingleys on my fourth or fifth listen to the CD. The new approach to these classic songs breathes new life into them, and if you loved "Take My Life (and Let It Be)" before, wait until you hear it now. I feel spent after listening to the CD.

I do have a minor complaint in the song selection, because there are a couple songs that I have not even heard of before on this disc, which are taking the place of other songs that I would love to hear. But I am hoping that this becomes a series that will breathe the same new life into several other of my old favorites. And this small complaint does not detract from the feeling of awe that I have had with this worship experience.

If you love hymns and you love the previous work of Passion artists, you will love this disc.

Or "A View from the Other Side"

To explain why I like this CD, I have to give some of my background: I grew up in a hymn-singing church (organ, piano and maybe a trumpet or two on Easter) and have spent the last four years at college going to a church where they sing only psalms with no instruments (As a side note, as shocking as such a church may sound to some, I've never seen a congregation who loved singing and loved *what* they were singing more than that group of people. I have really grown in my knowledge and appreciation of the worship of God and the psalms, not to mention the improvement in my singing skills).

In any case, as I move on to another part of the country, I'm faced with the decision of where to worship, and as a result, HOW to worship. I guess I'm a "not-so-old fogey" because I really like the old stuff and have trouble appreciating/liking new music, Christian or otherwise, whatever I may think of the theology behind it (the theology of worship, that is), which, by the way, I'm still working on understanding.

All this is to say that this CD is great for anyone who's grown up on the great hymns of the past but is interested in giving the new styles a chance. The words and (for the most part) tunes in this CD are familiar favorites from the past with all their lyrical beauty and depth, but with the musical and vocal stylings of the present. For someone like myself who struggles with a knee-jerk reaction of dislike to the bulk of contemporary praise and worship music, and wonders how much of the reaction is simply personal preference and what I'm used to, and how much of it is justified, this CD is a nice bridge because I can learn to appreciate the music as I listen to my old favorite lyrics which, whether themselves justified or not, at least do not produce a knee-jerk reaction. It's also great to be able to listen to them in the setting of my living room instead of wondering about all these issues while trying to worship at church. And in the meantime, work on my theological study. :)

This CD is the product of what seems to be an encouraging trend of trying to understand Christianity in today's "postmodern" world by looking to the classic foundations, beliefs, practices, and products (such as creeds and hymns) of the historical church, instead of just adapting to whatever the pop culture of the day is. By the way, if you're interested in learning more about that, one book I'm reading now that seems to have a lot of interesting insight into this trend is "Ancient-Future Faith" by Robert Webber. I don't agree with all of it, but I have learned a lot so far, and have been challenged in many areas.

Looking from the perspective of the "modern" worshipper (which I realize is probably the majority of people reading this), this CD would also be a nice bridge for those who have grown up with the contemporary style and have a knee-jerk reaction to anything old. Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, and the other artists are all top-notch singers and writers who have written many other popular worship songs of their own, and they do a great job with this CD. I do agree with others who are a little disappointed by "How Great Thou Art". A lot of the power of that hymn is lost by upping the beat and giving it a poppy feel.

In conclusion, although my quest of finding out how to really worship in spirit and in truth is far from over, this CD has at least been a part of helping me get started by showing me that old and new are not necessarily incompatible and by encouraging me that the past has not been forgotten.

I can't tell you how happy I was to hear the first track on this CD (Tomlin's version of 'O Worship The King'). I knew right away that it wasn't going to be a cheesy hymns redo, but fresh life breathed into songs I have treasured all my life. Get the CD, if only for the quality, musicality and power alone. But, I love 'Hymns Ancient and Modern' because it refuses to allow the winds of modern worship to blow these great classic hymns out of the contemporary church. Thank you Passion!

I have especially enjoyed the discovery of "Here Is Love," probably the coolest musical track on the CD and a hymn I had not heard until Matt Redman's introduction. Beautiful! And like many of the hymns on this disc, a simple bridge/chorus section has been added that makes the Hymn sing more like a chorus, while remaining steeped in rich lyrical content.

Charlie Hall brings great versions of "How Great Thou Art" (simple, yet with a really nice groove), "Christ The Solid Rock," (one of the CD's best) and "Joyful, Joyful."

Tomlin, Crowder and Nathan and Christy Nockels (Watermark) add track after track of excellence, merging incredible lyrical depth with arrangements that are infectious and powerful. Christy's version of "Praise To The Lord" has stayed on repeat in my CD player for many long stretches, yet it moves me every time.

This is one of Passion's best, and I, for one, am hoping for a Hymns Volume 2!

This cd is awsome. I think hymns are being overlooked sometimes in "contemporary" worship. The new songs are awsome, but that doesn't diminish the hymns importance. This cd is powerful, my favorite in the Passion collection. A must have

This is a great album! It's amazing that these great songs were written 100 or so years ago! The melodies are awesome! I think the artists (David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Charlie Hall, and Christy Nockles, and everyone involved) did a fabulous job modernizing the songs and yet mainting the essence and meaning of the songs. What I like about it the most is that I can listen to it and worship God at the same time! I think if you like to praise God all the time, you must have this CD. Let's not be afraid of showing to other people what we believe in and just praise and glorify our Lord and Savior

Hymns Ancient and Modern takes some of the hymns that were a staple of childhood worship and reinvigorates them. The words retain their power and integrity as the music remains recognizable yet contemporary. O Worship the King, How Great Thou Art, Raise Up the Crown (All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name) and The Solid Rock (On Christ the Solid Rock) are standouts on this CD.

With one exception, all of the songs on the disc are at least 100 years old; one prayer offered even dates to the 4th century. It's refreshing to listen to statements of faith that are as relevant today as when they were first offered. For another example of a freshened hymn, check out Jars of Clay's rendition of The Comforter Has Come on the City on a Hill: Sing Alleluia disc, and for a great modern hymn that carries the weight of ages, listen to the Newsboys perform In Christ Alone on Adoration: The Worship Album.

I love the old hymns: so beautiful and inspiring. This album proves that some of the best hymns can be done in a contemporary style without destroying them, except for one: Chris Tomlin really butchered "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" in a big way. I dont claim to be a purest, but there really is no need for taking a wonderful hymn such as this and making it 'better' by jacking with the original melody (by simplifying it); he only robbed the hymn of its majesty and musical beauty. What a shame. On the other hand he did a wonderful job on "Take My Life"...maybe the best track on the album. Kudos to Watermark for "Praise Ye the Lord the Almighty" and "Fairest, Lord Jesus": they provide the paradigm for doing an old hymn in a contemporary style while preserving what makes the hymn great. The job they did makes the album worth it.

In my top three favorites, this album brings worshippers together in a way that no recording I've heard has before. Nothing but the best of concerts can beat it for a taste of Heaven. It sends my spirit soaring. Filled with ancient hymns, which I have always loved, it does them in a way that is passionate and moving. Starting out with "O Worship The King," the emphasis is on worship. These songs are often sung with a low mummbling, or a cheesy, "listen to how great my voice is." Not so with this one. The artists, male and female, are gifted, and their voices are instruments lifting up the songs, not the other way around. Though the rockish beat that punctuates these hymns, and U2-like guitar bits, might disturb some of the most conservative worshippers, most worshippers, young and old would love it. Me? I'm hoping this begins a movement to bring back these meaningful hymns to places of worship. If the passion that their great lyrics evokes stands out more with a bit of guitar, all the better! The one complaint I do have is occasionally, twice that I recall, the artists do the "Yes Jesus, Lord, Father, yes yes, you are king" repeating that modern worship songs are often bogged down with. A small "price" for this glorious album.
Compare to "I'll Fly Away" Jars of Clay Or Bits of Newsboy worship albums.

Modern worshippers today seem to crave whatever is new and "cutting edge" in music and genre... yet, we often settle for feeble tunes and blurred truths all in the name of WORSHIP. This CD embraces the modern approach to today's music and yet drives us back to our FOUNDATION for singing praises to God! The anointed psalmists at Passion skillfully and respectfully bring us some of the most amazing songs ever written. I pray that other such projects will be done as well. What an awesome & refreshing CD - thanks!!