Kim Gentes

Review of "A Taste of Heaven" (EP)

View a brief profile of Andy Park.

Andy Park

If you have been involved in worship ministry or just enjoying the music of worship that has been written and used in churches in the last 20 years, you've probably used a song written by veteran worship songwriter, Andy Park. While he has been a major voice and trainer in the Vineyard movement, he is internationally known for popular songs such as In The Secret (I Want to Know You), Precious Child, My Delight, Only You, The River Is Here, Blessed Be The Name, We Will Ride, Yahweh, Yet I Will Praise, and Wonder Working God. Andy has been writing worship songs that have become the soundtrack of the modern church around the world.

When one gets the idea that someone has had long term "success" in worship songwriting this could conjur up ideas of mountain top retreats, cluttered writing rooms, VIP studio access, co-writing with gifted compatriots and a life of creative seclusion. While that may be someone's dream, that is not the reality of Andy Park. Of all the high profile worship writers I have met and gotten to know personally, Andy is one of the most diligent servants to the Body of Christ I have ever met. Yes, he has written over 120 songs that have been scattered across the globe, but he did that while planting churches, pastoring, raising a large family, traveling around the globe, helping train churches in worship, writing books, mentoring dozens of others and following God. Andy is the real deal- a local church pastor/worship leader who understands the struggles and frustrations of everything from small church plants to mega-church campuses.

Why does all this matter? Because Andy writes these songs from the trenches. He isn't musing over something ethereal that he doesn't have to live through. In the real work of the kingdom of God and community of family, the kinds of songs that we write must survive the "reality" test of being true enough not only to believe, but to use on a regular basis in local churches at home and around the world. I am thankful for mentors and leaders like Andy Park, who have continued to lead and write from the trenches of local church work, while remaining an encouragement to the greater body of Christ.

For more info on Andy Park, his music and ministry, go to www.andypark.ca .

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 peace

As you think about his goodness and his kindness...

...Come and rest, come and let your soul find rest

For 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.

Blessings
Kim Gentes

Today I had the opportunity to listen completely through the new album "Deeper" by Christine D'Clario. It was a real delight! D'Clario is joined on a few tracks by worship leader/songwriters Anthony Skinner and Leslie Jordan to put voice to these 10 excellent worship songs. But the majority of the project is led simply by Christine herself. D'Clario co-writes on half of the songs on this project and uses standout compositions from others such as label-mates Daniel Bashta, Richie Fike, and others like Paul Mabury (One Sonic Society), Israel Houghton and many others.

The album ranges from radio pop to piano ballads to modern revisit of a classic hymn. There is a deep and grounded sense of presence to D'Clario's singing of these songs. She sounds so comfortable with the music, with the lyrics, that one takes away a sense that these songs are personal reality for her- that these songs are not just "favorites" she is singing for Sunday morning "airplay", but she genuinely believes them and embraces them as her story. These songs are a listening joy and carry something of a spiritual peace as you join in with them. 

Perhaps it is the steady, but subdued pacing of the songs and the arrangements, but this album is powerful, spiritual and deeply worshipful. Rather than forcing some theme or topic with over-arranged music and thunderous, complex instrumental assaults, D'Clario's voice is the focus here. Producer Paul Mabury scopes this project well, holding in the electric guitars, keeping the programming and rhythm compact and well-paced, and returning to the simplicity of piano and simple beats to frame the worshipful arias of D'Clario's sincere expressions.

One could sit down to listen to this album and not get back up for hours. It is captivating especially in its pensive, worshipful moments. Favorite songs for me were ballads Magnified (track 2), Pursuit (track 3), and Faithfulness (track 5). Strangely enough, I would venture to guess that "Arise" (track 7) will be a favorite for almost any church looking for an upbeat declaration song, with its pop-beat, infectious chorus and contrast to the rest of the album. But I warn those who think they will just skim over this project by listening to a few songs- you are more likely to find yourself awash in the peaceful sounds of D'Clario's sublime ballads and settled into your chair in worship for an hour or more. And a good number of us could very well use that kind of interruption in our frantic and busy world. This is a very strong album with good songs, well-produced tracks and an enthralling voice of a worshiper anchoring it all.

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.

[Don't miss the free download of the song "Holy Spirit Come" at the bottom of this review! Many thanks to Vineyard Music for providing this!]

The last two years have seen a beginning resurgence of stylistic creativity in the "worship music" genre. After 15 years of acoustic guitar based music in light pop/easy listening arrangements, we are beginning to see broadening pallet of music taste, styles and even languages bubbling up in the modern church music offerings.

One of the absolute best albums I have heard in the last couple years is the worship offering called "Miami Vineyard Live". The namesake church featured in this album provided a group of several worship leaders, musicians and songwriters that created a stellar sonic experience while remaining completely worshipful and well-fit within their local church context.  Producer Mike O'Brien architects a gracious balance between flourishing artistic style and church-usable arrangements. Finding this balance is no small feat since the album features several worship leaders, and at least 4 different music stylistic ranges. It may seem inconceivable for a single project done in a "live night of worship" format to include songs that are clearly rendered in Latin, black gospel, island and funk stylings- but that is the task that the production team for "Miami Vineyard Live" took on.  And they succeed with flying colors.

If merely creating a seamless collage of musical styles wasn't enough, "Miami Vineyard Live" also features a truly bilingual lyrical approach. With lyrics written and sang in both English and Spanish, this album becomes a motif for the many thousands of churches who are reaching out to bilingual communities across America and the world. Again, the album is the real thing- keeping songs sung in two languages authentic, engaging and poignant.

The project begins with the upbeat effervescence of "Holy Spirit Come", a brilliant bi-lingual song inviting Spirit of God to visit the church. It's engaging, uplifting and encouraging to be a part of the larger body of Christ, and this song has both the lyrical and language written to best draw the worshiper to a point of collective worship to God. A great call to worship song! The second song is "Gloria A Dios Solo" (with My Whole Heart) and features a continuation of the call to worship theme, but this time having a directive praise invitation calling everyone "with my whole heart I give you all my praise".  Both of these songs feature a wonderful weaving of English and Spanish without sounding like a trite acquiescence to inclusion- no, instead this is a thoughtful and honest group of English and Spanish speaking people who have crafted music that ebbs and flows through both languages.  Beautiful!

The third track is a re-envisioned version of Vineyard classic song "Lord Reign in Me", but redone in energetic Latin rhythms and sounds, with some rock overtures. It's a fresh and encouraging revision, which again sways between English and Spanish. I love it! And the track list continues with this same fresh approach. Track five is cry and response gospel song with all the energy of a full on hip swaying, hand clapping celebration. Fused with more rock overtures, "At All Times" is another song that will charge you up as you sing "I'm gonna bless the Lord!"

The mellow sounds of island music become the enlivened style of the Vineyard classic song "If You Say Go". But no sooner have you settled down into island subtle rhythms and you are back on your feet shuffling with the song "Everything to Me" and "Your Name Is Great".  Pensive love ballads, rousing gospel call/response songs, and renewed versions of classics "Breathe" and "How Great Is Our God" all find their way in this album, not as obtuse appendages of music experimentation, but as enthralling, worshipful re-envisioning of classics put in proper musical context for the Miami Vineyard worship community.

I absolutely love this album. On a recent day trip my teenage son came with me. For hours we listened to "Miami Vineyard Live", replaying it over and over again. He was so impressed with both the music and its unique approach, he has written the church to find out more about their church, worship and work across bilingual communities in their area. He hopes to even go the the church (though) as an intern at some point to learn from them. All this sparked simply from listening to their music. Yes! It's that engaging, and that encouraging!

If you haven't had a chance to listen to "Miami Vineyard Live", I strongly encourage you to do so! You can listen to online samples of every song at the weblink below. But to do this album justice, make sure to go through all the samples of each song. A great new worship album with fresh ideas, great songs and a wonderful approach to bi-lingual worship. I love it! A full Editor's Choice Award goes to "Miami Vineyard Live." Well done!

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/xNNKBM

Free Song Download from "Miami Vineyard Live"

 *many thanks to the fine folks at Vineyard Worship for providing this.

Review by Kim Gentes