It Is Well
Posted November 06, 2009
By piano89,
When you think of worship artists, which come to mind? Chris Tomlin? Hillsong?
Brenton Brown? Matt Redman? There are plenty of others, but one unlikely candidate is
Kutless. Sure, the Portland-based rock act released a worship album (Strong Tower) a few
years back, but that was when most of CCM was caught up in the “worship music
craze.” But, after much prayer and consideration, the guys of Kutless have decided to
put forth a second worship project, titled after the group’s favorite hymn, It Is Well.
Similar to Strong Tower, It Is Well is a mix of covers and originals. The title-track opens
with a traditional choir angelically singing the chorus of It Is Well. A dance/techno beat
emerges in the mix before slamming into a wall of crunchy guitars. “Redeemer” is
actually a medley of two Keith Green songs, a verse of “Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful” and
a verse and chorus of “There Is A Redeemer.” The song starts out subdued but soon
becomes faced with gutsy power chords, similar in execution to the title-track.
“Hungry,” “God of Wonders,” and “Give Us Clean Hands” while solid tracks, leave a bit
to be desired (although the “woahs” at the beginning of “Give Us Clean Hands” is a nice
touch).
To keep this worship record from being all too familiar, Kutless offers some original
worship songs. The album’s lead single “What Faith Can Do” has already resonated with
many around the country, at one point reaching number one on iTunes’ top Christian
songs. Stylistically, “Remember Me” probably wouldn’t be out of place on a regular
Kutless album. The track is noticeably darker from the rest, but worshipful nonetheless.
Acoustic-driven “I’m Still Yours” brings the album to a close. Though it’s one of the
softest tracks, it’s perhaps the most powerful song on It Is Well; Jon Micah sings,
“Even if You take it all away, I know I’m still Yours.” This powerful line ties back to the
song “It Is Well” in that God will carry us through difficult times, we just have to trust in
Him.
Overall, It Is Well is a solid, uplifting worship album. Kutless once again proves that
worship can be rockin’.
Closing Thoughts:
I was quite impressed with It Is Well. I somewhat enjoyed Strong Tower, but I found it
to be a little bland. Thankfully, this is not the case with It Is Well.
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