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.
Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 3:08PM Friends,
This unique Easter /Passion week resource was very encouraging to me. I wanted to let everyone know about it as soon as I had a chance to go through it. It is a perfect combination of musical backdrop and thoughtful, spiritual formation-based devotional as we walk the road of Christ to the Easter event. Even if you don't do each day, these devotionals are poignant and uplifting, bringing us into the scriptural themes of the week as we live, die and are raised again with Christ on the holy road to easter. I highly encourage you to see below and download this resource for free.
Review by Kim Gentes
An Audio Devotional Experience of music and spoken devotionals
Easter is the high holiday of the Worship Year; everything we believe and act on in the world as followers of Christ hinges on the resurrection of Jesus. Beginning Palm Sunday, you can enjoy an Eight Day Audio Devotional Journey Into Easter together with thousands around the globe! This free series, by musician story-tellers Dunn & Wilt, will enrich our faith during Holy Week – all the way through Easter Sunday. Go to this link
- http://DunnandWilt.com/easterjourney
- download the free Easter devotional album of 8 mp3s (one for each day).
You'll listen to one, 3-4 minute devotional each day, and then we'll interact on a Facebook page with others from around the world. It's easy, the instructions are at the link, and we'll all be celebrating the story of the Cross through to the Resurrection together. Join us in the Eight Day Audio Devotional Journey Into Easter!
Click here for more details and information. The devotional is completely FREE, but it begins tomorrow, so come download it now!
Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 2:27PM 
Our friends at Hillsong Australia contacted us this week wondering if our readers might be interested in getting a free MP3 and sheet music copy of their new song "Cornerstone".
Of course, I was happy to say "yes!"
Based on the hymn "The Solid Rock", Cornerstone is a brilliant anthem of Christ's Lordship, which is perfect for the glorious celebrations coming up for our Easter Sunday's.
Below you will find download links for both the PDF lead line sheet music and the mp3 audio file.
We hope you find it helpful for this season.
Be sure to chime in and let us know what you thought (post comments below) and you are welcome to share this with friends on Facebook and twitter with your friends.
Free Song Download "Cornerstone" from Hillsong
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"Cornerstone" Already in WorshipTeam.com
Thanks to our friends at Hillsong Australia, this song has been pre-loaded for all those who use Worshipteam.com for their worship planning. You can include it in your set planning this week! If you are a member, simply login and find it in the song database, or under "New Songs" tab. If you aren't a member, you can check out Worshipteam.com for free for a month (more info here).
Article by Kim Gentes
PDF, cornerstone, download, easter, free, hillsong, lead sheet, mp3, music, sheet music, song, worship in Easter, Free Download, Music Review, Musician Resource Review, Single Song Monday, February 6, 2012 at 11:55PM 
In the last month, I have been listening to the newest album from Gateway Worship called "Great Great God". Listening, yes- and loving it! In it's short history, Gateway church in Southlake, Texas has been the seedbed to some great new songs, leaders and songwriters. With worship leaders/songwriters like Thomas Miller, Walker Beach, and Kari Jobe (among others), both the recordings and the songs coming out of Gateway have been top notch music and vibrant songwriting. This latest album, Great Great God, is no exception to that trend.
The album kicks off with the rhythmic and anthemic "Every Day I Live", led by Thomas Miller. Declaring that:
Every moment, for Your glory, every breath I give You praiseAll my days I'm living in Your graceEvery heartbeat wants to know You, now I live to make You knownI wanna show the world You are the God who saved my soul
Miller leads this live album off with a congregational energy and joy that enthusiastic, but stays authentic and in the tradition of declarative praise of commitment to the Lord. Great stuff!
The second track is "Sun & Sheild" and brings the congregation to a further exalting of God's attributes as our "sun and shield", allowing us to put our trust in the God who is our strength in times of need. I like the lyrics and focus of this song, which pinpoints our weakness as the moment and place in which we need to turn our hopes and trust over to God. Very well crafted.
The third song is a brilliant rendition of the classic "Holy Holy Holy" (Dykes and Heber), but with a wonderful refrain which is perfectly written to compliment this timeless song of theological depth. The added section (written by Walker Beach) pays a resounding tribute to the content already present in the song- speaking of God's Lordship, kingship and eternal nature. After hearing dozens of remakes of various hymns by Tomlin and others, this remake of this georgeous hymn actually surprised me! In my opinion, this is literally the best "modern worship" revision of any classic hymn in the last 15 years. It is easily my favorite song on the album.
Kari Jobe takes the lead vocals on the next track, drawing the pensive and beautiful tones of her voice into a peaceful ballad that flows with just piano and gentle strings as compliment. No drums, no guitars- just a simple and inviting call of devotion that leaves every worshiper calling out to God- "You're my everything".
The album continues with three more tracks that reverberate with strong declarations of God's goodness and greatness. The final song highlights this as the title track "Great Great God", declaring "there is no one like our God".
Gateway Worship's "Great Great God" is lives up to its namesake title of being another great contribution of songs from the writers and leaders at Gateway. Though this is more an EP length contribution that past albums (7 original songs), it is well worth your attention, especially if you are a worship leader looking for great songs for Sunday morning. I can't reiterate it enough- the third track on this project is really the best hymn remake in the last 15 years. Take a look at this project, if even just for that song, and it will be well worth your time.
For churches using WorshipTeam.com, all the songs, chord charts and audio are already available and pre-loaded for you in the WorshipTeam.com system song database.
If you want to listen to audio samples or purchase the album directly yourself, see the Amazon link below. A great new album!
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/yS3HCa
Review by Kim Gentes
album, cd, david moore, gateway, kari jobe, live, music, praise, review, thomas miller, walker beach, worship in CD Review, Music Review Friday, January 6, 2012 at 2:17AM 
Recently, I was looking for a version of Joyful, Joyful. One of my first stops online was to see if Dunn & Wilt had a version. They did. I love it. Subtle piano-scaped corners with a core of electronic beat and pads is an apt description. My Joyful, Joyful moment with this song occurred as I sang along with the song, all the while feeling like the Euro-pop soundscapes of the late 80's had somehow floated in the window. Nicely arranged, simply sung and thoughtfully sparse at the most important moments, this is a great little peice of music.
The song, of course, was the original creation of Henry van Dyke, with Beethoven's music framing its poetic form. Dunn & Wilt bring their signature expression to the song, and it takes a delightful form. The nice thing is you don't have to believe me- you can go get the song yourself, for free. No strings. They let you download it and its yours. Cool. Go check it out this way:
I love it! Thanks Dunn & Wilt.
Review by Kim Gentes
80s, adore, dan, dunn, electronica, hymn, jeremy, joyful, modern, wilt in Christmas Music, Free Download, Music Review Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 2:14PM 
[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"
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*many thanks to the fine folks at Vineyard Worship for providing this.
Review by Kim Gentes