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Gordon Gregory [Between Redemption & The Pain] | Posted March 04, 2011
Having grown up in South Africa, Gordon Gregory has a unique outlook on life, and it shows in his songwriting. Never willing to settle for clichés, both lyrically and musically, his fresh brand of Christian indie pop brings 13 years experience as both a pianist and guitarist. He honestly opens his heart in each song as an invitation to the listener to do the same, welcoming them to wrestle through the realities of life, faith and art in a way that is unapologetically authentic. His debut album, Between Redemption And The Pain, is an overflow of this authenticity. With Psalm-like candidness, Gordon cries out to God to be real and relevant in the midst of life's messier situations, to reveal His grace in times of failure and to bring redemption to life's most hopeless moments. It is this theme of hopeful redemption that permeates the album, as it does the heart of God, and will be an encouragement to any person honest enough to admit that they don't have it all together.
I have had the privilege to meet and worship with Gordon and he truly has a passion for praising our God. Right from the opening song “God Of The Broken,” Gordon brings uplifting reverence and joy of worship to our King. I really like the song and find myself frequently singing the opening line “Come as you are, come bring your scars, to the heart of our Savior and hear Him say, they’re washed away, your yesterdays, your failures.” The song has a great melody and I could imagine singing it with fellow believers, especially the worshipful chorus, “You are the God of the broken, You gave Your life for our weak and wounded souls, You died while we were still sinners, so we bring our hearts, bruised and broken…It’s here in our brokenness that we can see You are the God of the broken.” I love the biblical truth of the song and Gordon’s sincere vocal style.Some other standout songs for me are Gordon’s original songs “Wrestling Angels,” “Redemption Song,” “Phoenix” and “Leaving.”
Kyle Whipple plays a great harmonica part on “Wrestling Angels” and sings harmony on "God of the Broken." Gordon’s wife Bekah sings all the female backing vocals. Many of the songs are arranged in a very sing-able and catchy style and the lone “rock” song "Leaving" is recorded with an upbeat driving rock musical style and is my favorite song on the album. “Leaving” has a great list of items Gordon is leaving…”the sacred and the crass… the judgment and debate, the guilt that feeds the game, this Christianity for the Jesus that sets the captives free.” The album ends like it starts, with some solid mid-tempo piano-based original songs "Not Home" and "Unfinished." Many of the songs remind me of contemplative worship songs like “Give Me Jesus” by Fernando Ortega and “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)” by Chris Tomlin.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I really like Gordon’s singing voice as it is very soothing and his album is great for meditative times of worship. I’ve listened to this album while commuting and this album will calm you down in stressful situations. I really enjoy the vibe of this album and the melodies and lyrics are all solid and biblical. Fans of Fernando Ortega, Steven Curtis Chapman and Chris Tomlin should enjoy this solid worship album.
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