Powerful, Engaging, Presence | Posted April 10, 2013
Let It Be Known is the latest release from Worship Central. For those unfamiliar with Worship Central, it is the brainchild of Tim Hughes and Al Gordon and is based at Holy Trinity Brompton located in London. (This is the same church that developed the "Alpha" course.)
Worship Central is a worship school that was started on 2006 and this is their fifth album, a collaboration of the massive songwriting talents engaged at Worship Central plus some special guest writers that include the likes of Matt Redman, Stuart "Stu G" Garrard and Martin Smith.
This is a proper worship album--recorded live, you can hear the shouts and claps of the scores of worshippers as they enter the presence of God. The beautiful thing is that they bring you along with them.
The album starts with "Ready For You." Immediately preparing us for what we are about to encounter the initial verse says, "Here we are / Standing on the edge of something new / Lead us on / Further than we’ve ever been before." I cannot think of a better song to start a worship set. The sound is what a fan of modern worship music would expect with no big surprises, it is the heart cry of the first song that garners our attention.
The tempo picks up with "God Most High," and carries on at a frenetic pace with the title track, "Let It Be Known." If you aren’t already dancing or playing air drums on your steering wheel, you will be as soon as this song begins. It starts with what at first sounds like a sample of '80s Brit-pop and moves into a heavy bass-infected rhythm. This is a wonderful anthem encouraging us to let the world know that "Our God saves / Our God reigns / Love has come / love has won." Unlike the first couple songs--which didn’t do much to differentiate themselves soundwise from the other A-grade worship music being released--this is clearly new, with a touch of hip-hop added in for good measure. It is a refreshing break from the norm.
Things slow down with "The Cross Stands." This is a beautiful song about the power of the cross and the finished work of Christ. Matt Redman has a writing credit on this particular song, and the sound of it rings true to a classic Redman sound. This song can easily become a standard for Good Friday services in years to come. Is there a more beautiful image than an empty cross standing over our lives?
The first appearance of a female lead worshipper occurs on "Dry Bones." Nikki Fletcher delivers a powerful song that cries out for God to breathe on our dry bones by His Holy Spirit and have His way in us. The spontaneous worship at the end of the recording is especially touching and shows the importance of why worship albums should be recorded live.
"Kingdom Coming" is an open prayer to God for his kingdom to come and for a time of breakthrough to come and heal the land. It is not a secret that much of Europe is in a near-dark ages when it comes to the move of God, but with open prayers and declarations such as this, it will not be long before the breakthrough comes. But, just because it was written with the United Kingdom in mind, does not mean that we cannot sing and declare the same things for our homes.
The heavy kick drum returns with "Guardian." The song is about calling on God to be our defender, our guide, our guardian. Nikki Fletcher draws us back into the presence of the Holy Spirit with "Draw Me Close." It really gets to the heart of the matter that God is all that we need. He is our all sufficiency. "The Constant" is about just that, that God is constant and faithful and unchanging. The lyrics are simple and clear and easily transitioned to a Sunday morning service at a large church or to a Wednesday night life group.
No worship set would be complete without "Hallelujah" being sung. No other word can exemplify our worship for Jesus Christ than this one simple word. The song ebbs and flows as the Spirit moves through the service with wonderful dynamics and a powerful, driving rhythm.
Things get wild again with "Our Generation." The same sound we heard on "Let It Be Done" is back. Another song praying for revival in this generation. Declaring freedom over their land. Now, I know I am outside of the specific generation that they are targeting with this, but there’s no reason that my generation can’t see it as well. This song also includes the hip-hop stylings of Worship Central’s rapper-in-residence Myles Dhillon. The rap portion includes these lyrics: "The world cannot ever hold us down / Radical holiness marks us from the crowd. / Come on, let's dream dreams. / We could be the ones to set the nations free!"
This song flows seamlessly into one of the most powerful parts of the album is "Set Me Free." Dhillon starts with a slower rap and they then move into a chorus that simply says, "Set me free, set me free / From everything the world says I need. / Set me free, set me free / You are everything that I need." The album ends on a high note telling us that "The Same Power" that raised Christ from the dead is alive in us. (Ephesians 1:19-20)
Closing Thoughts:
This is an incredible worship album that may have been overlooked being released on the same day as the latest Passion album. Personally, I find that worship music from the UK is underrepresented in North America--whether it be Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, or Martin Smith.
This album should not be overlooked. The power and presence of God that invaded Holy Trinity Brompton during the live recording will invade your space, wherever you find yourself. For me it was in my car on the commute home during my first listen. The songs have lyrics that are easy to get to know and extremely congregation friendly. The chord charts are available on the Worship Central website for those that want to introduce some new songs to their church.
Song to Download Now:
"Our Generation" (Get it on iTunes here.)
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