Back in the mid-90's Kim began writing impromptu reviews of church music CDs (worship music) so that people who were looking for CDs would have an opinion from someone who is also a worship leader and is garnering music for local church use. Up to this point, this was rarely something that was done, because church music was revered as sacred and it was thought that any offering of that sacred worship shouldn't be criticised or evaluated. In fact, Kim wasn't as much a critic as he was an evaluator, helping people find what fit their church. He began posting his reviews on line in a email discussion forum, called the Worship List (website). After a while, when he helped launch Worshipmusic.com, he continued that same concept of trying to help other local church worship leaders and musicians find music that might be applicable to their situations. The reviews continued to be a part of that. Worshipmusic.com went on to grow a staff of writers that would add many more reviews to the collection they have, but Kim continued to participate as a key reviewer. This journal logs all the reviews Kim has written on worship music CDs and projects.
Kim's reviews of CD projects of worship music includes independents, label and main stream recordings, but all having to do with worship music.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 12:01AM 
Over 15 years ago, I remember listening to the cardboard-packaged CDs from the UK called "Cutting Edge 1 & 2" and "Cutting Edge 3 & 4". As I heard "Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble", "I Could Of Your Love Forever" and "Find Me In The River" my heart soared, arms lifted and tears welled in my eyes. I remember feeling that finally someone was playing my music. In that moment, I knew that "church music" was changed for the rest of my lifetime. Those albums, and the songs on them, were the first fruits of a crop of fresh worship that was to come from the UK, heralded most prominently by the worship leaders/songwriters Matt Redman and the incredible band Delirious1.
Delirious' leader singer and main songsmith, Martin Smith, has come full circle of that place - writing new songs from and for the local church. Reading a recent biography of Martin Smith, it sounds like he is stepped into a time of community in a local church plant in his native UK. It is from this seedbed of connection and community that Martin and his songs have re-emerged in this new album "God's Great Dance Floor: Step 1".
The opening track is a pop arranged song that stirs the worshiper with the appropriate title "Awake My Soul". Smith's voice and sensibilities jump right onto this album by bringing you into a place worship right from the start. The next song sounds like the 90s-captured sound from U2 inspired songs with the 16th note hihat and delayed electric guitar reverb setting the progressive groove of "The Fire Never Sleeps". In the midst if this upbeat celebration, Smith returns to his worship language of surrender, singing "burn oh my soul" out passionately and intensely.
"Back to the Start" is the third track, alternatively subtitled "God's Great Dance Floor". This song was the title track from the recent Passion conference live CD (and serves the same purpose here) done by Tomlin, Redman and Crowder to great effect. Here, Martin Smith gives us the crisp presentation of a tight arrangement, that has every bit as much energy as a "live" version. I really enjoyed this lengthy track that explodes into at least three different modes of energy and arrangements. Joy-filled and celebration-ready!
The album leans way back with "Waiting Here For You", a piano ballad in which Smith declares that he will wait for God, lift his hands and adore the Lord of all creation. With solemn "Alleluia" this song soars in peaceful surrender, the pop-ballad music gently percolating underneath the cleanly sung lyrics. A beautiful, glorious, song of surrender. Track five keeps the pensive mood, and opens up confession of brokenness and loss, ultimately reconciling such painful things in the providence of God to carry us through. Powerful. The track "Safe In Your Arms" is a prayer song, echoing the themes and lyrics from Psalm 23 with the resolution that "I am safe in Your arms". These last three songs form a deep pool of worship in the stream of this albums river of praise, perfectly fit in the mid-point of this experience.
Once making the corner passed "Safe In Your Arms", the tempo picks up once again, running into track 7 that overlays the metaphor from the old song "onward Christian soldiers" into a commitment song to encourage believers to surrender their lives and bring the love of God through acts of mercy and justice to the nations. While Smith is unafraid to use this metaphor, I wonder its usefulness in the international church today, which would be quite sensitive to this imagery being associated with Church.
The next track is called "Jesus of Nazareth", another song which seems like it is taken from a themed children's song, and turned into an "adult song", this time with full country/roots treatment of drums, guitar and even banjo, all plucking along to the cut time, until the very end where the song ends oddly with a rock exit. Track nine, "Catch Every Teardrop", sounds like a Christian radio heart-touch song, evoking both confession and prayer in this melodic and catchy tune. It would seem out of place on this largely worship-oriented project, but Smith draws on his already established thread of confession and prayer to make this fit and highlight his story-telling side. The last song uses allusions to David ("shepherd boy, singing to a choir of burning lights") mixed with Smith's personal call to sing to God and invite others into that song as a way to express "love is a fire!".
The entire album is delightful, starting with praise filled celebration, deep pools of worship and ending with songs of life and commitment to God's call. A thoughtful, engaging and uplifting project. Check it out!
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/ZChwwk
Review by Kim Gentes
1. I use the simple name Delirious in this article, though they were branded as "Deliriou5?" in their official marketing and naming.
God's Great Dance Floor, Step 1, cd, delirious, leader, martin smith, music, review, uk, worship in CD Review, Music Review Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 8:54PM 
There are moments in worship that mean as much as the songs that accompany those moments. They are the times of encounter, surrender, offering and praise in which something of our most humble offerings meet with the very presence of the awesome God to whom we are surrendering. After 30 years of "modern worship" (however loosely one might define it and move that time marker), some of the best recordings are not marked just by great songs, but by the moments captured in that embrace of emotion, theology, and art. When I think of great "moments" that are captured on a recording, some of the spontaneous moments that come to mind are the song Exalt the Lord with Daphne Rademaker/Brian Doerksen (track 15 on Winds of Worship #2 /1994), Days of Elijah with Robin Mark (track 11 on Revival in Belfast/1999), the opening prayer and spontaneous song Great is the Lord with Kevin Prosch (tracks 1 and 5 on Even So Come/1991) and the song Spirit of the Sovereign Lord with Andy Park (track 13 on Worship Festival Live/1992) and even the recent song In Jesus' Name with Darlene Zschech (track 4 on Revealing Jesus/2013). Each of those moments contained not just the excellence of music and song, but something of a poignant encounter.
It is this kind of thing that comes to mind when listening to the new album "Jesus Culture with Martin Smith: Live from New York". This recording is as much about great moments as it is about great music or gifted artists/leaders. Veteran artist, songwriter and worship leader Martin Smith takes the front seat (leading 7 of the 16 tracks) in this worship experience vibrantly paired with the energy and passion of musicians and leaders of Jesus Culture- Kim Walker-Smith and Chris Quilala (with a single track featuring Derek Johnson).
The album kicks off with Martin Smith leading his new song Fire Never Sleeps, a classic Delirious/U2-sounding rock tune that ambles along through its punctuated rhythms of the verse into melodic long notes in a glorious chorus that rings out:
Burn, oh my soul, set me on fire
Burn, oh my soul, light up the fire
Burn, oh my soul
Smith, in his writing, vocal passions and lyrical throw-offs, presses the heart of the message, inviting the gathering of thousands of young people to set their hearts and passions on fire with passion for God. A great song with lots of energy reflecting the lyrics. Track two is driving rock song, this time written and led by Chris Quilala, called Forever. Building through several repetitions of declaration ("forever, I am Yours") and surrender ("All that I have is Yours") the song launches into guitar solos and choruses, until it completes, leading into the somber intro of Pursuit, the third track on this album. This song, written by Daniel Bashta, is led by Kim Walker-Smith, whose clear voice and passion is paired with Martin Smith in a duo unlike many others I've heard on a worship album. This song is a bright gem on this recording, as the two leaders defer to each other throughout the sections of the song, alternatively leading and backing each other up. Beautiful, powerful and anthemic- a model for the kind of cooperative leadership of the church of Jesus in which our voices blend in harmony with one another to produce a gift that can be more than the sum of its parts. One gets the sense that the Holy Spirit was leading this song as much as Walker and Smith, as during the ebb of the song you can hear the congregation refraining over top of the slow rolling of chords in the interlude.
Kim Walker-Smith leads out on track four, the song Walk With Me, a song written by members of the band One Sonic Society (Garrard, Ingram, Mabury, Thatcher). This song is perfect for Walker-Smith, who presents the prayerful verses as plaintiffly (I have to make up words sometimes) as she does the surrendering chorus and the pounding bridge. As the song goes into an interlude around 5:10 of the song, we encounter one of those moments of grace in which the lyrics are as much prayer as they are "ab libs". Beautiful. This continues through this extended song, whose 8 and a half minutes seem to go by quickly for the engaged worshiper.
Martin Smith returns to lead track five, Waiting Here For You, a perfectly titled and needed song for our "on-demand" culture. The music, tempo and arrangement of this song is rightly pulled back to starting off as a simple piano ballad. Kim Walker-Smith joins back in, complimenting Smith's soft voice. Their vocal textures combine nicely, and eventually bring the song to a percolating flow, as electric guitar riffs drive the song into a stadium anthem, with the thousands year old refrain of "Alleluia" repeated in glory and resonance amidst the 14000 worshipers to the grand audience of One. The worshipers keep the refrain going a cappella until Martin Smith returns by singing the chorus in Spanish, vividly presenting an audible metaphor for the scriptural truth that we will one day sing together from "every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." (Rev 7:9) This transitions seamlessly into Martin Smith's song Our God Reigns, another track that ebbs and flows with ease through music and refrains without sounding tired. Martin Smith's spoken encouragements are well placed, well-received and cause explosive worship among the worshipers. Again, the track leads through ebb and flow, somber and joyful times, even including an extended time of waiting at the end of track 7 (another Smith tune Song of Solomon).
Each track on this project has a unique footprint. Poignant moments appear from congregational voices echoing over the music to long notes of guitar solos and other times of pounding drums and anthemic declarations. I could go through the entire song list and explain great moments, but it is best for you to simply get this project and set it in your playlist. The two hours of music on this double CD live recording is a wonderful journey to join in with!
Some tracks to look for new songs that you may not be aware of are track 7- Set A Fire, track 8- Alleluia, track 12- Holy Spirit, and track 16 - Did Your Feel The Mountains Tremble. You may well have heard these songs before, but if you haven't I strongly encourage you to take a listen to these. Excellent songs and vibrant versions of each of them, showing how they can be done live with great effect.
If you are a worshiper, enjoy rock style music, and love "live" worship, this recording may well become one of your favorite in recent memory. Filled with great anthems and alive with engaging moments, it is well worth buying the entire album to experience the entire journey this album takes.
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.
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/140onC3
Review by Kim Gentes
New York, bethel, cd, delirious, jesus culture, live, martin smith, ny, recording, review, rock, worship in CD Review, Music Review Monday, April 15, 2013 at 9:46PM 
"Not Be Moved" is the latest recording from Vineyard Worship and is released via their quarterly series (called Club Vineyard) with some grace-filled fresh songs. The twelve songs that fill this project are congregationally minded offerings that could fit in a varied range of churches, partly due to their generally singable vocal ranges and partly due to the diverse range of styles in which these songs are arranged.
The lyrical and theme content of this album reflects a long-standing tradition of the main-stay of worship music- glorious adoration and the Christian basics of faith, hope and love. Several songs focus directly on glorifying God for his worthiness- Name Above All Names, Face To Face, Greatly Praised, Satisfied, Blessed Be The Name of The Lord, He's Our King. Several other songs expound the virtues of God's rescuing, faithfulness and provision towards His children- My Savior My Rescue, Love Lifted Me, Not Be Moved, The World Can't Take It Away, and Everything Is In Your Hands.
Aside from these thematic groupings, notable in this collection is a focus on declarative language in most songs (in both theme groupings previously mentioned) and the absence of the language of prayer and request. Two songs with prayer language are "Make Us One" and the personal "Face to Face". This is not a huge shift or difference that might be noticed on this album alone, but becomes clear as one looks at decades of songs from the Vineyard churches. Popular songs from the 80's (such as Change My Heart O God, More Love More Power, Psalm 121), 90's (highlighted by Come And Fill Me Up, Draw Me Close, Breathe) and 00's (Hungry, Surrender, Be The Centre) of Vineyard catalog often prominently featured a musical playlist of plaintiff prayers and supplicant surrenders. Today's Vineyard songs resound more with the language of assurance and faith declaration than the language of prayer, though the lyrical sense of joy and thanks continue to smile across many of the songs of this album.
The album kicks off with an understated floor tom pounding in solid rock song "My Savior My Rescue". The song is a declaration of placing trust in God's love, His works and the belief that he will rescue us from the desperation inherent in our human needs. A thoughtful song of remembrance and assurance, that exudes praise and lifts the worshiper into a place of trust in God. Track two, "Love Lifted Me", is a country styled tune that rambles steel guitar through its bubbling effervescence of love-laced lyrics. This exultant song provides a joy-filled refresh to the age-old phrase "love lifted me" that is worth churches taking a look at, with a tasty gospel hook (that ends too soon, in my opinion) appended to the final refrain of this special song.
"Name Above All Names" is beautiful track setting a guitar-infused musical bed for a wonderful presentation of Philippians 2:6-11, where Christ's submission by emptying Himself of his divine-qualities becomes the place in which he humbles Himself to obedience and gains the experience of true humanity, even death on a cross. The song is perfected by the passionate and grace-filled vocal tones of worship leader Hannah Daugherty, who highlights two of my favorite tracks on this project. The title track, "Not Be Moved" follows this. A glorious, piano-based (complete with oscillating organ pads) gospel song, it presents the center of this project's theme- a clear, powerful and faith-filled declaration of God's immovable and unchanging nature as the foundation for our reliance on His benevolence.
Track five is the poignant song about the prayerful desire for the worshiper to have their eyes opened to see God's glory and to be in the presence of the One. Again, Daugherty captures the song with her fluent interpretations that create the atmosphere of deep worship. At eight and a half minutes (the longest track on the album), this song effortlessly brings the worshiper into the same place of prayerful hunger as the lyrics expound. Several songs continue the stylistic rock/roots, country and rock/country stylings of this album's primary motif- "Greatly Praised", "The World Can't Take it Away", "Make Us One", "He's Our King" and "Everything Is In Your Hands".
"Blessed Be The Name of the Lord" is another reload of an archived Kevin Prosch song from the mid-90's (similarly, the song "They That Wait On The Lord" was revived on the "My Foundation" album from Vineyard last year), though this tune update drones on and fails to either capture the energy of the original version or provide an alternative infused with an interesting arrangement.
"Satisfied" is one of my favorite tracks on this project, partly because it stands out stylistically from the guitar-centered, country/rock styling of the rest of the album. But more than just style, this song is a humble admission of our needs resting solely in the person of God. It states:
All of my longings are satisfied
All of my longings are satisfied in You
This kind of admission is enrapturing and epitomizes the heart-ache of all of us- to be with Christ and have Him be, simply, enough.
If you are looking for songs to consider for your local church, I recommend "My Savior My Rescue", "Love Lifted Me", "Name Above All Names", and "Satisfied"- each of these songs have something significant to contribute to any worship repeteroire. Be sure to listen through the entire album and glean some good new songs for your local church worship.
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. 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.
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/17kyVYB
Review by Kim Gentes
album, dan wilt, diane thiel sharp, hannah daugherty, mike obrien, not be moved, praise, review, songs, vineyard, worship in CD Review, Music Review Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 2:27PM 
Review of "A Taste of Heaven" (EP)
View a brief profile of Andy Park.
When I started listening to this short EP I was working frantically on another work project. But as the songs "A Taste of Heaven" and "Perfect Peace" began to rise up from my office sound system, I began to listen. It was beautiful.
The first track, "A Taste of Heaven", is presented in both a standard and extended version (track 2) on this project. This song is about God's grace and favor on His people, and how that favor is a foretaste of the glory of heaven come to earth today. This song is really about God's presence being the unmerited favor of blessing for us, as he states in the second verse:
Standing under the shower of your unmerited favor
Your blessings upon us
You have given so freely your affectionate mercy
Your blessings upon us
This is not an indulgent declaration, but a thankful praise to God for his incredible love towards us, and this theme continues throughout the song. It is uplifting and engaging, pointing the worshiper towards the great Giver as we wait patiently on His presence to guide us.
Producer Kelly Carpenter has done a very nice job of keeping the music well suited to Andy's style, guitar playing and voice. The arrangements here are easily recognizable as Andy Park songs from the first bar. And the "extended versions" of the English and Spanish translations of "A Taste of Heaven" have a nice vamp into electronic/looped soundscapes that give Andy space to mix both English and Spanish in the ad lib sections. With a chorus echoing in the background perhaps this is a prophetic vision of all peoples, all languages worshiping God. Very worshipful.
As the next song, "Perfect Peace", began playing, my wife came upstairs to my office and asked about it. She said, "that song is for you." She was right.
Park has always used scripture foundations in his songs, such as this one that elegantly weaves Psalm 62:5, Isaiah 26:3 and Matthew 11:28-30, reminding us:
Perfect peace, he will give you perfect peaceAs you think about his goodness and his kindness......Come and rest, come and let your soul find restFor the burden that he gives you is light
The song is played with an acoustic guitar framed arrangement, keyboards, and programmed instrumentation. It's simple and lilting arrangement is perfectly suited for its message of peace by trusting in God. I found myself surrendering, singing along and reciting the lyrics as prayers throughout the day.
"Perfect Peace" is one of 3 different songs on this short EP, but the collection contains both "A Taste of Heaven" and "Perfect Peace" in Spanish versions as well, "Un Sabor De Los Cielos" and "Perfecta Paz" respectively. In fact, Park has wrote "Un Sabor De Los Cielos" in Spanish originally and translated it for the English version. It was beautiful to experience a worship EP that contained English and Spanish versions of the songs. In light of this, I asked Andy Park more about his music and ministry, and his work on this recent project.
View our brief interview with Andy Park.
The final song on this EP is a Spanish version of the classic Vineyard worship song "Precious Child", entitled "Precioso Hijo". This powerful song is about God's love for us as His children. It is about how we should see ourselves as being chosen for his family- bound, not by our performance, but by God's faithfulness. This is a familiar theme for Andy Park, as many of his songs explore God's love and characteristics, our identity in Christ and our community identity as the church (global and local).
If you are a local church worship leader looking for some excellent worship songs on the topics mentioned in this review, I encourage you to consider listening to the samples online at Amazon (or if you have WorshipTeam.com, you can preview the songs there). Especially if you are looking for Spanish worship songs, I encourage you to check out these 3 Spanish songs on this EP.
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. 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.
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/10NFHbV
Blessings
Kim Gentes
EP, album, andy park, music, perfect peace, precious child, review, songs, spanish, taste of heaven, vineyard, worship in CD Review, Music Review Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 8:53PM 
It is no hyperbole to say that Jesus Culture and Kim Walker-Smith have become a powerful new voice in the sound of worship to the new generation and the "modern" church's musical liturgy. So, when I heard that Kim was going to be releasing a solo album, I was interested. Even though I often have the opportunity to get "free" product to evaluate popular worship resources/CDs, I almost always end up buying my own copies of things, because like many of you, I want to know if I feel like the money I spent was worth it. I am delighted to say that Kim's new album, "Still Believe", comes in very strong. It's not only worth the money, its worth your attention.
Having heard the previous Jesus Culture albums, I knew that her passionate vocals were her signature. My assumption was that it would be those impassioned vocals that would take over a solo album as well. I was right. And wrong. Yes, her vocals, with all their presence and passion rip through these songs with both peace and power- fitting them with the proper aspect as the song demanded. But also, no, in that Kim moves from just being a great voice to being a promising songwriter. On "Still Believe", Kim steps in with a surprising ability to write and present songs that are fresh, inviting and actually thoughtful.
The album kicks off with "Alive", a note pounding declaration that resounds with
"We will make Him known, Jesus is alive. He's alive!
We will shout it out, Jesus is alive! He's alive!"
The first track, written by Gabe Kossol and Jeremy Edwardson, comes across very strong, intentional and engaging. This is a great launch pad for the album. Praising God and declaring the resurrection truth is focused and yet celebratory. I love it!
The next song is written by Chris McClarney (author of "Your Love Never Fails") and others. "Waste It All" has quickly become one of my favorite "surrender" songs. Lyrically, it is a musical interpretation of Matthew 26:6-13 (woman pouring perfume on Jesus) in the first person. Every time the chorus rings out I find myself surrendering once again.
Track three continues the very hopeful, God-ward and personal language of all the songs in this album. "The King is Here" is new song written by Kim and Christa Black, this one exclaiming that God is here among us, He is present and we can rely on His being present and rejoice in that same reality. As much a song of faith as praise, this song takes our attention clearly from the far off God who watches us to the very present King who is in our midst. Again, focused, clear and powerfully delivered. Love it!
"Yield My Heart" settles back into a gentle brushes/cadence and Kim Walker-Smith opens up in first person language confessing, "I yield my heart to You." Again, coupling surrender and declaration, this song feels like a simple prayer, straight out of the ethos and language of the Davidic Psalms. And this is what endears you to this album- her intense focus on Christ, clearly at the expense of exposing her own vulnerability as she unrelentingly sings out these songs.
Tracks 5 and 6 are a live version of the Tim Hughes (et al) song "Spirit Break Out" and a spontaneous tag that extends out through an entire track. To be sure, almost every song on this album has a tag and impromptu segment that takes each song to a personal and "uncorked" expression from this worship leader to God, with all of us carried along in the tow of real worship. This song is a very well written re-examination of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6) that links that prayer to the release of the Holy Spirit across mankind and history. A beautiful prayer and offering. Walker-Smith doesn't leave the song to the text given by the songwriters. She expands on it with her own passion, ad libs and unguarded confessions of need to be overflowing with the presence of Christ, His love and His character.
The title track "Still Believe" carves a beautiful melodic understanding of the atonement found in Christ's blood and the sufficiency it establishes for all those who believe. Maybe one of the most focused songs on the blood of Christ that I have come across. Without compromise, Kim declares that the blood of Christ is the center of what grace and provision is available for all Christians. Again, I am very impressed with the focus and articulation that this young writer has by keeping the text to one topic on any given song. A song well worth listening to for anyone looking for great new songs in your local church.
The next track is a cover of Martin Smith & Stu Garrard's "Miracle Maker", done with both lilt and power. Not a song that is easily done in most churches, but a gorgeously presented declaration of the Revelation text that appears in chapter 1 and 4 "who was and is and is to come". The final song (called "Healing Oil" by Chris Lizotte) is a jubilation of thankfulness that launches Kim Walker-Smith into an overture of refrains. She is singing out, at the top of her lungs, declaring that she wouldn't trade another lifetime for the reality of God's presence being there, right now.
And that highlights precisely why I LOVE this album. Kim Walker-Smith refuses to be afraid of singing songs that are either well articulated theology ("Still Believe" and "Alive") or "in the moment" passion ("Waste It All" and "Healing Oil"). It is that edge of unguarded evocation that makes the album feel like a breath of fresh wind on the landscape of "prescribed" worship music productions which are often addled by so much musical and theological care they leave true passion off the recording. This needn't be so. And Kim Walker-Smith proves it.
I loved this album. You will too. Really.
For churches using WorshipTeam.com, all of the songs, chord charts, lyrics and audio are already available and pre-loaded for you in the WorshipTeam.com system song database. 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.
Kim Walker, album, bethel, cd, jesus culture, kim walker-smith, music, review, songs, still believe, walker, worship in Awards, CD Review, Music Review 