Customer Reviews

Passion: Everything Glorious

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a fantastic worship album with the effect of putting you right in Gaylord Arena in January 2006... almost. Like any live album, the live feeds are not always idea and thus, a good bit of overdubbing and production have to be done to make the sound that comes out of your speakers really capture the essence of the experience of sitting in a live arena. In most cases, this recording succeeds brilliantly, but in other's it leaves me a little wanting:

1. Awesome Is the Lord - *** - Upbeat song but feels a bit like bubblegum pop to me. Just not my style, that's all.

2. Glorious - ***** - I will never forget when this song was song and the graffiti wall was raised at Passion '06. For those that weren't there, this was an extremely powerful experience in part because of this song, sung by Chris Tomlin and the incomparably Christy Nockels. Probably the most powerful song on the CD. I must admit I find the placement of the song on the CD a bit odd... I would have expected it at the end right before Our God Reigns.

3. Party - *** - Eegads... people go nuts over this song, and to be sure, it is a great live event song as it gets the audience participating. I'm not so sure how well it translates into a song I'm listening to in my car.

4. Jesus Paid It All - ***** - The one Kristian Stanfill song on the CD (his other recording of "Salvation Is Here" is available on the iTunes Music Store) is perfect. Kristian's appending of "Oh Praise the One Who Paid my debt... who raises life up from the dead" at the end makes for an extraordinary ending to a song that is full of dynamics.

5. All We Need - *** - Charlie's new album is fantastic and I highly recommend it, but this isn't one of my favorite songs off the new album. That said, it has a rock solid tempo that gets people jumping and singing in a live event, so it translates well into the live arena.

6. Center - ***** - I adore this song, and this version of the song is different than the one put on iTunes in that the BELLS are BACK! Charlie's drummer plays bells during this song that just add a dimension to this song that makes it feel more enveloping... just soak in Christ for a while and make him the Center of your life. Great song! Great Recording!

7. We Are Yours - *** - This is a somewhat haunting song that really doesn't feel like corporate worship, at least in the verses, and you can hear that in this recording... all verses are Charlie alone, and then when the chorus kicks in you can hear the audience. I'm not a big fan of overt repitition of choruses on recordings, but I'm sure it was very moving during the event. Just don't remember it as much.

8. Never Let Go - **** - This is the first track featuring Matt Redman (and the only track that he doesn't share with Chris Tomlin). Redman is an expert at expressing truth of the gospel in his songs, rather than simply expressing praise. The words of verse and chorus in this song really speak to me.

9. How Marvelous (I Stand Amazed) - ***** - My favorite Chris Tomlin song on the album. I love that it starts off with solo guitar and voice, which harkens back to Shane and Shane from last year's Passion album. This is very much a modern day recreation of a classic hymn... something Passion's Hymns album did brilliantly. This song works extremely well for "car worship" and has me singing along throughout.

10. Everything Glorious - ***** - David Crowder is in the house! I must admit, the David Crowder Band is my favorite, in part because of their extraordinary originality, and in part because they are such a tight band and have such fantastic stage presence. This is a simple song and almost starts off like a child's lullabye to me, before kicking it into high gear with the fantastic chorus. A great song!

11. You Are My Joy - **** - This is easily one of my favorite songs of all time, both live and recorded. Sadly, this version is a hybrid of the studio album and the live... David sings the "la, las" in the bridge (which I honestly like on the recording better as the violin is just hauntingly beautiful and don't need the vocal parts over it. David's banter with the audience isn't on this live recording which make the "la las" presence on the recording all the stranger. This is DCB's "rock opera", and much like live versions of "Bohemian Rhapsody" rarely do the original justice, the same can be said for the recording of this live version of You Are My Joy. I DO like that the guitars are more pronounced in the bridge of the live recording than in the studio.

12. We Win - **** - I adored this moment of Passion, which saw David Crowder jumping around to each corner of the center stage and bringing the crowd together in this extraordinary song. Sadly, the breathless energy is lost in this recording which seems almost certainly to have been overdubbed in the album as the vocals are so clean... almost exactly like the original. Just strikes me a bit annoying, but a great song and recording nonetheless.

13. Our God Reigns - ***** - A fitting end to the album, and the conference, Matt Redman joins Chris Tomlin to lead the 18,000 attenders in a song that focuses on the simple truth of who God is in our lives. The all-crowd ending of this recording is a potent reminder who who really led worship at the Gaylord... so appropriate that God should receive all the Glory for those 4 days in Nashville.

There's been a lot of criticism leveled against Passion and Louie Giglio lately. I participated in the Thirsty '06 Conference, and heard Louie share from his heart about how God built Passion ministries, and how He continues to use these gifted worship leaders and song writers to affect change in colleges and universities across the U.S. and around the world. And, oh yeah, the worship was terrific. Many of the songs on this album (from Passion '06) were also featured at Thirsty '06. I heard Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman and Charlie Hall all speak about how God wrote these songs through them. And God is using this music to speak to hearts.

As a worship leader, I highly recommend this album--not as a collection of songs for your iPod, but as a tool for your heart. Whether you are a believer or not, God will speak to you through this music if you'll open your heart to His voice.

I love Jesus.

These songs have a message based on the everlasting word of God, which is good because we can only worship in spirit and in TRUTH.

Buy this CD even if only for a few of the songs.
Track 4, Jesus Paid It All - Kristian Stanfill: Simply amazing, this song makes me marvel time and time again at the grace I have been so lavishly given.
Track 8, You Never Let Go - Matt Redman: A simple truth with deep implications, this song will reverberate within your soul and cause you to rejoice.
Track 9, I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous) - Chris Tomlin: Wow. I stand amazed, stupefied and in awe! :-D

This CD is a blessing! I highly recommend it!

Rarely does an artist live up to the expectations imposed by critics insisting that each band's subsequent CD release to be better than the previous CD. Yet Passion keeps setting the standard for contemporary, God-saturated worship, and this explosive, powerful new CD raises the bar yet again.

Chris Tomlin has two more classics emerging on this CD in the songs "Glorious" and "Awesome is the Lord Most High," while "Party" is reminiscent of classic arena rock jam tracks. David Crowder's contributions do not disappoint. Live versions of "We Win" and "You Are My Joy" fall in with the title track "Everything Glorious," and Charlie Hall kicks in with live versions of "Center" and "All We Need," along with a new song/prayer called "We Are Yours." Matt Redman adds "You Never Let Go." The CD also features two rearranged hymns in "Jesus Paid It All" and "How Marvelous: I Stand Amazed" by newcomer Kristian Stanfill and Chris Tomlin. In an era where far too many artists take traditional great hymn arrangements and change them for the sake of change and artistic license only to end up with a version somewhat difficult to listen to, both of these arrangements are improvements to the originals and manage to take the hymn to new levels of beauty without causing your brain to cringe when you listen.

The final track, "Our God Reigns," closes with 18,000 students taking over the worship from Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman in a moment that leaves one pondering what it might be like to worship in heaven.

"Everything Glorious" is the best Passion CD yet.

This CD is a must have for everyone that attended Passion '06. Just listening to it brings you back to Nashville, and all of the wonderful times the 18 THOUSAND of us shared!

I absolutely ADORE Matt Redman's new song, number 8, You Never Let Go.

Buy extra copies and pass them out to all of your friends--we want 36,000 in Atlanta!!

This is a worthy follow up to the Passion05 conference live recording "How Great Is Our God".

The songs contained within are gems speckling and reflecting the light of Christ out. "Glorious" (track 2) by Chris Tomlin & Christy Nockels is one of the most powerful modern songs on the glory and majesty of God that I have heard in quite a while. Charlie Hall & Matt Redman's "Center" is another track which resounds within me (and I'm sure others) to make Christ the center of one's life.

Matt Redman's "You Never Let Go" to me is a beautiful track reminscent of the various arrangements of Psalm 23 that I've heard over the years. A wonderful reminder to us that despite what is going on around us, we are still in the palm of God's hand.

Crowder & his band present live versions of a couple of tracks from their "A Collision" album that are magnificent and I don't the CD does it justice (I have a feeling these would have sounded much better live). The final track "Our God Reigns" is powerful. A restatement for us with the 18,000 at Passion06 about God's overall sovereignty.

My favorite tracks however are the two re-jigged hymns "Jesus Paid It All" and "I Stand Amazed". These two tracks alone are worth the price of the entire CD.

A live recording that should be in your praise & worship CD rack.

There are few CDs on the market that realign the heart, mind and soul to God...who He is and who we are in relation to Him. The music will grab you and the words will make you still...very still in complete reverance toward God Almighty. Thank you Louie and Passion team for the refocus on the Renown!

I typically buy this type of album to aid in worship leading at my church, so my review is based on how much I like the songs, as well as on whether I felt that I could use the songs in service. So, if you're looking for a review on the actual musical performance, this isn't it.

Awesome is the Lord Most High - I like the tune for this one and will probably use it in a worship service soon.

Glorious - This song was ok, but not too spectacular in my books. I do like the slowed-down chorus and might use it for tie-ins/transitions between songs, but that is all.

Party - Didn't do much for me. Probably part of it is because it's not exactly in my personality...I really couldn't see myself leading this song (it feels more like a performance-type of song)

Jesus Paid It All - Personality-wise, this song is much more up my alley. I really appreciate incorporating hymns into a service. While this is not one that I have led in service, this track brought it back into my mind, and I plan to lead it in the future. I think, however, that I might just stick with the original hymn instead of also using the bridge (why is it that, lyrically, many bridges contain so little?)

All We Need - Not sure why, but Charlie Hall has never really done it for me. The chorus from this song has stuck in my head, however. Won't be singing it when I lead worship.

Center - I like this one better than the previous, and I might actually lead this one in our service.

We Are Yours - I actually liked the beginning of this song. Probably use the "we are Yours" line as a transition or something to that effect (I know, there are only three words in that part...I'm not hating on bridges/choruses, just wondering aloud in my stream of consciousness).

You Never Let Go - I like a lot of Matt Redman's material. This song is one that I enjoy, and might lead at my church.

I Stand Amazed - A hymn sung in half-time. :) that is all

Everything Glorious - This song is ok. Melodically, I like the chorus better than the verse.

You Are My Joy - A little too minor for use in my church. When I think about this song, it makes me think of Delirious' "My Glorious" and the response that I got for that.

We Win - For a song that is celebratory and victorious lyrically, the body of this song didn't make me feel all that triumphant. Maybe it's the fact that he doesn't shout until the interlude-y part of the song, and when he's singing the lyrics that talk about shouting, it's the low and growly part of the melody.

Our God Reigns - A powerfully sung chorus that, while simple, communicates an awesome message. Dynamically, moving from instruments to a capella and back gives it a lot of feeling. I'll definitely be using this.

I really enjoyed the cd and it played beautifully. It came quickly in the mail. This is one of my favorite cd's and the one I had had a lot of scratches so I was happy to be able to buy this one on Amazon.

I love the passion moment, as to that I must say this- you should pick up this CD project for yourself.