The Altar and the Door
Posted December 23, 2009
By baconcraig,
The much anticipated release from Casting Crowns has been out on the streets for a few weeks now and has enjoyed multiple rpm's in my CD player. Whether you're a fan or not, if you've listened to them you know their debut CD was simply awesome. And they didn't disappoint on their softmore effort, "Lifesong". Minus a Live version of the debut album, "The Alter and the Door" is technically the third release by Crowns.
With a balanced mix of worship tunes and challenging anthems, the greatest drawback to "The Alter and the Door" is that it is limited to only 10 songs (plus a hidden track that will transport you to Oahu). Splattered with the fingerprints of other talented songwriters such as Nichole Nordeman (Every Man) and Steven Curtis Chapman (The Word is Alive), the hardest impacting songs on this disc appear when when the band members keep songwriting duties in the family.
If Christians sat up and took notice when hearing "If We Are The Body" for the first time, there are bound to be some ripples throughout the church when listening to what I believe is the best song on the album - "What This World Needs". Check out these lyrics penned by front man Mark Hall and guitarist Hector Cervantes:
Verse: What this world needs is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind, Another two bit politician peddling lies, Another three ring circus society. What this world needs is not another sign waving super saint that's better than you, Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth, Another prophet in an Armani suit.
Verse: What this world needs is for us to care more about the inside than the outside, Have we become so blind that we can't see, God's gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt. What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance, Blending in so well that people can't see the difference, And it's the difference that sets the world free.
Bridge: (spoken) People aren't confused by the Gospel. They're confused by us. Jesus is the only way to God but we are not the only way to Jesus. The world doesn't need my tie or my hoodie, my denomination or my translation of the Bible. They just need Jesus. We can be passionate about what we believe but we can't strap ourselves to the Gospel. We're slowing it down. Jesus is going to save the world but maybe, the best thing we can do, is just get out of the way.
Chorus: What this world needs, is a Savior who will rescue, A Spirit who will lead, A Father who will love them in their time of need. A Savior who will rescue, A Spirit who will lead, A Father who will love - that's what this world needs.
Current radio favorite "East to West", the album's namesake "The Alter and the Door", the song that cemented the albums theme "Somewhere in the Middle" along with the worshipful "All Because of Jesus" should provide radio exposure well into 2008. And Mark's personal comments in the liner notes are worth bypassing the temptation to download this CD from iTunes and driving down to your local Christian bookstore to pick up your copy.
...Lord, this time I'll make it right, here at the altar I lay my life. Your kingdom come but my will was done. My heart is broken as I cry, like so many times before but my eyes dry before I leave the floor. Oh Lord, I try but this time, Jesus, how can I be sure I will not lose my follow through - between the altar and the door? View All Music And Book Reviews By baconcraig | View baconcraig's Profile
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