Trees Is a Refreshing Compilation of Covers | Posted June-11-2013 Trees is the product of a brief hiatus by Starfield as they had taken time to cut back on the rigors of touring. This break has been spent on much needed family time and winding down.
Although Starfield's front-man has stepped out with a solo project, brothers Tim and Jon Neufeld assure their fans that they're not going anywhere just quite yet.
A collection of 10 songs, covers of worship music, that Tim Neufeld calls his "spiritual trees, the theological and emotional pillars of [his] life."
The production value and arrangements done on each track are amazing. Since most of this album contains songs popular in the Contemporary Christian Music scene, most of these tracks are already "single-ready," but these covers are done so well that they stand apart from their source material.
Tim Neufeld goes for more of a folk sounding album (Mandolins and banjos!), with surprisingly well-placed brass instrumentation on "Glorious" and "This Is What You Do." His vocals are as wonderful as ever, whether they are on their own, backed by the campfire-gang-vocal choruses, or harmonies with the likes of fellow artist Audrey Assad.
Deciding if you like them "better" than the originals will be of personal choice, but for me these renditions breathe new life into familiar songs that have become very well-known. These include such worship songs as Matt Redman's "10,000 Reasons" and Hillsong's "Cornerstone."
However, this album covers more than just the corporate worship music sung in churches all over the world. Tim covers hymns to hopefully reach out and expose new generations to these beautifully written works. He also covers a lesser known "indie" track with Lovelite's "Heart Starts Beating."
The only knock I have with this album is that there isn't an original track to be found, but sharing new songs wasn't the purpose of this album.
I'm sure many of us have heard how you can tell a lot about a person by the music they listen to. Well, this album serves as a look into a few of the branches of Tim Neufeld's life. It gives us insight into the faith of "professional Christian," in the hopes of strengthening our own faiths.
So take the invitation that Tim Neufeld offers to sit among the leaves and branches of his faith and worship Jesus: "I invite you to climb them, sit in their branches, and be free. This is TREES."
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