Kim Gentes

So far, this year has been a pleasant surprise with some exceptional albums that have released already from Kim Walker-Smith's "Still Believe" (Jesus Culture), Passion's and Tomlin's perennial releases, Darlene Zschech's brilliant "Revealing Jesus" and now the most dynamic live recording you may ever hear- "Only A Shadow [live]" by Misty Edwards. Edwards is a worship leader and songwriter with International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City. Her new album, released by Forerunner, is recorded in conjunction with the OneThing conference just held a few months ago.

Describing this album would be almost impossible without words such as prophetic, spontaneous and dramatic. Edwards style and her musical and vocal nuances evoke comparisons to the modern rock drama- especially when you consider the lyrical content she is covering. This album is entralling and worshipful- a moving experience based in powerful dramatic renderings of scripture, song lyrics and spontaneous spoken sections. One could easily imagine Edwards being the lead in a modern rock musical. Her voice arrests you, her passion explodes through the lyrics and her range crosses effortlessly from low tones to soaring arias.

All this comes out in powerful fashion right up front as the album begins. Track one (called "Ezekiel 1") is a song in which Misty Edwards recites several verses from the first chapter of Ezekiel. Underlying the track with a G minor chord, the music rhythmically ebbs and flows around her recitation of the scripture. Combining the pulsating music, her passion and her dynamics turn the scripture into just as strange a presentation as the text itself contains (anyone who has read Ezekiel knows how shocking the text is). And that is the point- Edwards makes the message and musical media become so synchronous the readings, lyrics and spoken encouragements / admonitions leave you captivated.

This album is not a set of disconnected tracks- it is a single, brilliant, intentional and captivating experience. Edwards and her musical team execute a carefully woven musical story of passion, commitment, scripture, surrender and thanksgiving that draws the listener in by its undulating musical presentation, skilful melodies and musical hooks, deft arrangements and the overwhelming power of Edwards' own vocal gift. I had heard that Misty Edwards was primarily a "prophetic" worship leader (whatever that is supposed to connate). For that reason, I expected the album would be largely tracks of ad lib sections without congregational participation. But I was quite wrong- this album's most surprising feature was the number of tracks that left me singing out with the chorus portions of many songs. While there were definitely a lot of ad lib/musical vamps in which Edwards launched into largely solo explorations, each of those felt well-spaced and not overly self-involved. They move the listener as they seem to have moved Edwards.

That said, this album will not be for everyone. But let me highly caution those who think they know what "prophetic worship" is (and might be ready to "pass" on this album)- do not skip passed this project. It is not only an absolutely amazing musical experience, it is a beautiful dramatic presentation with a worship leader whose ability to cross from ad lib to scripted, solo to congregational and dramatic to melodic sections is nothing short of enthralling. And it all fits its purpose- one is not pushed to be in awe of Edwards (though in other venues, this would surely be the effect). Rather, I constantly found myself being pulled into the stream of the praise, engaging, and worshiping. And then later, I was silent, listening, and reverent of the God and King who had become the object of Edwards' burning obsession in whatever ad lib section she had come to. It is truly an experience unlike any other.

If you have never heard an album of music from IHOP or Misty Edwards, I can't recommend this any higher- take some time to listen and experience this album. It is beautiful and unlike anything you have encountered in the "worship music" genre. A unique and needed stream- a gift to the Body of Christ.

Thankfully, you don't have to take my word for it. This entire worship experience was captured in HD video and is presented on the IHOP website via streaming video (which we've embedded here below). I encourage you to settle back and enjoy as much of this as you can. It's amazing!

For churches using WorshipTeam.com, all of the songs, chord charts, lyrics and audio from this album are already available and pre-loaded for you in the WorshipTeam.com system song database. In fact, to the best of our knowledge WorshipTeam.com is currently the only place yet to have any charts from this album! If you are not part of WorshipTeam.com and want to listen to audio samples or purchase the album directly yourself, see the Amazon link below.

Again, folks check out the video below and hear/see some of the songs on this album. An incredible experience!

Worshiping God!

Kim Gentes