Kim Gentes

When we do reviews, it is normally on a full album project, or resource. Today, however, I wanted to share something that is just a single song resource.  Normally a single isn't something I investigate simply because of the time and work it takes to do a review.  This song, however, caught my attention instantly when I heard it, so I investigated further.

The song "Show Me The Way To Your Heart" is a new single just releasing from ION Records. You can find it on their front page at http://ionworship.org/ .  The song is a captivating call both to us and God. To us because it invites us into the prayer with its writers to seek God's heart and call on him even as we make our journey towards him. A call to God in that the song itself is a prayer "show me the way to Your heart".

The song is presented crisp, and clear, with the vocals of veteran worship leader Brian Doerksen executing his trademark pensive call and response styling.  The musical backdrop is provided by Doerksen's own band including the great rhythms of Calum Rees and Peter Davyduck (drums and fretless bass), with Brian Theissen on electric guitar adding melodic hook and with a meaty center of volume through the instrumental segment.

Songwriters Adam Villiers and Pete Beaumont give us lyrics that are as easy to sing as they are to listen to, and I found myself joining in almost instantly. In fact, the reason I am writing this review is because the song quickly became my prayer for the hours and days that followed the first listen.  Wonderfully infectious, the melody and theme of this song deserves a listen from any church which is looking for exceptional songs of longing that are perfect as congregational prayer-songs. As a worship leader, I have already begun to learn the song and practice it for the next opportunity I have to introduce a new song.

I'd encourage you to listen to it as well and see if it doesn't open your heart and lift you along with its prayerful melodies and lyrics. The song is available from ION directly at http://ionworship.org/ . For the price of a single song, plus a free chord chart included, you can hardly go wrong.  An excellent resource!

New Bonus Video - "Show Me The Way To Your Heart" - songwriter Adam Villiers and worship leader Brian Doerksen demonstrate the song and show how to play it.

Show us the way to Your heart. Yes, Lord!

In Him,
Kim Gentes

There are few songs in the past 5 years that have spread as quickly throughout the body of Christ as "Your Love Never Fails". This song, along with many others, is the outgrowth of the local ministry, worship leading and songwriting of Chris McClarney. Chris is a worship leader at Grace Center Church- a dynamic and growing church located in Franklin, TN. I recently was present during a worship service in which Chris led a song that struck me as not only unique, but profoundly worshipful, engaging and encouraging for people wishing to give abandon praise to their God. The song was called "Waste It All".

Since I am involved in working in the worship resourcing world, I looked for where I might find this song and found it on and exceptional album solo album entitled "Defender". If you haven't heard of Chris McClarney, that is no surprise as he low profile personality and humble demeanor are the antithesis of what you'd expect for a worship leader/songwriter/artist hailing from the Nashville metro area.  In the last several of weeks I have had the opportuntity to be in worship services in which Chris has led. From that backdrop, I decided to look deeper into the music that he has released. My first stop is this album, "Defender".  And I was very, very encouraged with what I found.

The album starts off with the popular chorus, "Your Love Never Fails".  This song is commonly known from its cover version on Jesus Culture release of the name. But here Chris treats us to a simpler, straightforward version of the song, crisply done with his pleading tenor notes and honest ad libs. The second track is a bluesy acoustic rock groove (complete with leslie hammond organ swirl) that drives home the point of Chris's intent with all the songs on this project- a direct assault at crediting, glorifying and praising God. In fact, with virtually every song, lyric and ad lib on this album you find a constant focus on God's character, Holy Person, attributes and acts while leaving little time for anything else. Yet in that broad focus on God, Chris's lyrics and songs remain very human, very real.  For example, the next song, "Who Is This Amazing Love", expresses the reflective interplay of these realities:

Who is this King of Glory?

The Lord so strong and mighty.

He's always faithful to forgive.

His favor goes before me,

His perfect love surrounds me,

Now I can't help but sing, oh.

The Lord is strong, forgiving and glorified, and yet our position of being in His favor and surrounded by His love is not forgotten.  This thoughtful balance is reflected in songs from the first track, title track, "Your Love Is Everything" and almost every track on this album.  And this brings up the strength of this project- well crafted and diligently tried lyrics. After being in worship services several times with Chris leading, I have seen many of these songs become anthems not just for the leader and worship team- but for the congregation, who uses them in unrestrained praise to God!

I must say that the song "Defender" is such a prayerful declaration, one can't help but be singing along full force by the time the track winds down. The next song is a beautiful composition of the W. Chalmers Smith hymn "Immortal Invisible".  The song has life and joy exploding in the new chorus with what becomes Chris's signature unrestrained style of praise through music and voice.

The next track that struck me powerfully both as a worshiper and a leader is the song "Your Love Is Everything". Another declarative thankful prayer to God, this song expounds its title phrase in the context of our human experience of needing God to bring his light into our darkness, to forgive our sin, heal us and to meet all our needs in the context of finding ourselves in God's overwhelming love.  This is definitely a song for worship leaders to review and see if it isn't one for your Sunday morning set lists.

There are a couple other songs on this album that were impactive to this worshiper. One of the best tracks is a beautiful, simple and uncluttered blues, rock version of "Blessed Assurance". While using the well-known lyrics of Fanny Crosby, Chris and co-writers John Hartley and Chris Eaton have fasioned a unique and personal rendition of this song that reminds us that our stories in this life become His praise as we live in the provision of God's "blessed assurance".

All of these songs are excellent considerations for any worship leader looking for new material for Sunday morning. But I have saved what I consider the best for last!

Remember, at the beginning of this article, I mentioned the song "Waste It All"? This song is found on track nine of this album. And it is, for me, an absolutely unforgettable worship song that deserves your attention. This song uses the scriptural allusion of John 12:1-11 to paint the scene of abandon worship- drawing us into the story of pouring our lives out as a fragrance to God, just as Mary Magadelene did with real perfume in her unabashed devotion to Christ.  If you (like me) listen and contemplate the lyrics to this song, you may come away with a bit more of your heart unlocked and surrendered in devotion to God. Here is the chorus refrain:

I want to waste it all on You
I want to pour my heart's perfume
And I don't care if I'm called a fool
I'm wasting it all on You

It has been a very long time since a song has come along that has such a vibrant combination of lyrical prowess and musical engagement- all with the singular focus of encouraging us to surrender our hearts with unashamed abandon to God and a personal relationship with Him.  If you don't remember anything else from this review, make sure you do this one thing- find the song "Waste It All" and use its well sculpted message to help you devote your heart to God in a fresh new way.  In my opinion, this track is the best song on this project and one of the best I've heard in the last 10 years. It's really that good.

For those that are interested in hearing this song, and the rest of the album, you will find it available in several of the normal locations (iTunes etc), but I especially recommend:

Defender -Chris McClarney http://amzn.to/OO04ww (Amazon)

For those who use online planning, you can also find the songs from this album, the full audio, chord charts and lyrics online in WorshipTeam.com.

This album is not a surprising innovative musical endeavor. But it is a vibrant and superbly crafted lyrical contribution for anyone looking for great new songs for their church. In fact, the songs are so strong and usable for local church use that Defender receives my accolade as an Editor's Choice selection. Excellent songwriting, shining vocals and honest expression throughout the project make this album worthwhile for any worshiper, and especially worship leaders, to consider.

worshiping Him!

Kim Gentes 

Kim Gentes may not be as familiar a name to you as some of the well known worship leaders, but he has been instrumental in providing the church with some of the best worship songs and resources available through worshipmusic.com for the past 10 years. While serving as a worship leader in his church every week he recognized the need to be able to easily access great worship songs and resources, but also had a desire to share them with the worship community around the world. Kim Gentes has reviewed literally hundreds of worship CD's and songs over the years and his new release, Kingdom Rain is the result of seeking the heart of God each week, trying to give voice to the cry of our hearts in each song and inviting God to visit us in a special way. Several of the songs are co-written with producer Brian Thiessen, (guitarist for Brian Doerksen) who provides a great "worship band" feel for Kim leading with his acoustic guitar. 

"Let Everything" is a great opener and an invitation to do what we were created to do….join with all creation to Praise the Lord! I resonate with every word of the title cut, "Kingdom Rain". What a great prayer! I love the text from Revelations and minor rock feel of "Holy Holy Is The Lord Almighty", featuring Vineyard worship leader, Andy Park. I wasn’t ready for this one to end. "Whispers Like Thunder" and "Only Jesus" are two tender prayers that I know reflect the heart of Kim Gentes. "All Of Me For All Of You" is the result of a very personal journey for Kim and a few close friends. I was privileged to be on that journey with him. It has a great Celtic feel featuring a duet with Jessica Park. Love this. "You're My Refuge" is another great prayer and declaration. The chorus is so simple and I found myself singing along immediately. "Bless The Lord" features Rita Springer and is a beautiful moment on the CD, especially toward the end of the song as she worships freely, setting up for Kim’s last song…..a prayer… summing up the whole project. 

For those of you who don't know Kim, I encourage you to listen to this CD and get to know his heart like I have. The songs reflect the heart of someone who is dissatisfied with the status quo and who is longing for the refreshing rain of the Spirit to fall on us. If that's you, let’s join our hearts with Kim and say, "Let the flood come. Bring Your rain, Lord. Bring Your Kingdom Rain!"

Kingdom Rain CD is available here.

Review by
Don Moen
 

About Don Moen: Don is one of the most prolific songwriters and producers in Christian music. Having overseen literally hundreds of projects, and a successful songwriter/recording artist in his own right, he has served as the President at Integrity Music, toured on every continent in the world, and received numerous industry accolades and notoriety. But at the heart of Don Moen is a man who is hungry for God, and his work, songs, albums and tours have a common thread of bringing the hope, comfort and encouragement of God's love and promises to people who are also hungry for God.

You can find out more about Don at his own website at
 http://www.donmoen.com/

For many years, I have reviewed and recommended music and resources from a unique church resource perspective. I love the opportunity of finding great tools for the local church. But as creative leader, myself, there is a deep desire to experience excellence and beauty in the art of music, and to see that inspire the church creative community. In my ventures in the last 15 years, I have come across a worship leader/songwriter named Andrew Smith a number of times.

But what I didn't know about Andrew was that the last several years has had him on a musical journey where he is receiving flourishing acclaim as a tap style guitar instrumentalist. In addition to a strong presence as a singer/songwriter, Andrew has toured and recorded extensively playing and delighting audiences with some beautiful tap-style guitar works.  My goal with this article today is simply to highlight some of Andrew's music for you, and to give you a sample of this gifted artists enchanting craft.

Below is a 6 minute 40 second video of a piece called "African Tap". Take a moment, sit back, watch and listen. You will be delighted, encouraged, and at once inspired- whether you are someone who is involved in creative artistry or not. You can also see more information about Andrew on his own website.

I want to thank Andrew for giving me permission to include this video on my site.  You can find out more about Andrew's music and journey at his site directly at : http://andrewsmithmusic.com/

I hope you find Andrew's music as inspiring and encouraging as I do.

Sincerely

Kim Gentes

Several months ago I found myself on a driving trip from New Orleans to Mobile, AL then to Nashville. Over eleven hours total in driving prompted me to bring two new worship CDs to review. The first one I put in was Andy Park's "Wonder Working God". I never took it out. Like my trip, the project is a journey of its own going from song to song, sound to sound, culture to culture. Collectively, this project moves through a wide range of rock, acoustic rock, blues-rock, gospel-piqued and even Asian influenced styles.

Right off the top, the track "Our God Reigns" wakes you up with a 60/70s rock story complete with pounding drums, punching bass and big band accents (or ska, depending on your generational persuasion). A great declaration song about the truths of God's character, "Our God Reigns" will become a favorite in any church it is played in.

Many of us know Andy Park as the songwriter of "In The Secret (I Want To Know You)", one of the most popular songs in the church in the last 15 years. But that may soon become the second most popular song in Andy's songwriting repertoire after the church hears the title track on this album. "Wonder Working God" is a brilliant song with scriptural lyrics, compelling music and soaring melodies. In our time of uncertainty in so many areas, "Wonder Working God" is a lifeline of scriptural truth that congregations everywhere will be using to help remind them of the hope God has placed in our lives through His promises. This is a song that will find its way to other artists and be covered on other albums. It's that good.

The great songs don't stop. Other new songs "New Day", "Help Somebody", "Friend of the Poor", "Fleece of White" and "Your Grace is Sufficient" provide an expansive pallet for anyone looking for superbly crafted songwriting with solidly scriptural content. In addition to that, classics such as "How Priceless" (one of my favorite songs ever), "Messiah", "One Thing I Ask" and "Like A Lily" round out the album with crisp arrangements that provide for generous use in the local church.

The production on this album is diverse in style, but constantly understated in execution, which makes it a listening delight. Choosing well between guitar or piano based song arrangements, producer Brian Theissen makes this album about the songs, not about an infinite number of layers of production that take the songs beyond their intended use- the local church.

I wish I could say I remember what the other album was that I intended on listening to for the balance of the eleven hours in the vehicle, but "Wonder Working God" made the entire trip with me through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. And it was a delight! A great album and a gift to the church, it's easy for me to recommend "Wonder Working God" to you as our latest "Editors Choice" selection from WorshipMusic.com.

Product Link (buy it here): Wonder Working God

Serving with you, Kim Gentes