Matt Redman: "10,000 Reasons" Review
Posted July 12, 2011
By gizmodad,
If you visit just about any church, you will most likely be sining along to tunes written by Matt Redman. The prolific worship leader and Grammy® nominated songwriter has been producing music for the church for the past 15 years, with the songs "Blessed Be Your Name", "The Heart of Worship", "Better Is One Day" and "You Never Let Go" being among his most well-known material. Earlier this year, Matt Redman returned from his home in the UK to Atlanta, Georgia to record his new album 10,000 Reasonslive at LIFT: A Worship Leader Collective, a large gathering of worship leaders. This new live worship project offers a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness, and how He is worthy of our praise.
10,000 Reasons opens up strongly with "We Are The Free", a passionate, upbeat anthem that speaks of the freedom we've found in knowing Jesus. "Here For You", a song that made its initial appearance on the latest Passion album, is a slower worship anthem based on Mark 9:37 that speaks of welcoming God into our presence. The highlight of this song is definetley the catchy and worshipful chorus, "To You our hearts are open/Nothing here is hidden/You are our one desire/You alone are holy/Only You are worthy/God, let Your fire fall down." The live electricity of this song is phenomenal, as the congregation can be heard worshiping along.
"Holy" leans on the slower side of things, opening with a beautiful piano line before building up into a passionate worship anthem. Co-written by Jason Ingram, the lyrics wonderfully describe Jesus' beauty and holiness and the fact that he is like no other God. Lyrically, the title track "10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord" is truly amazing. Inspired by Psalm 103, it speaks of how there are 10,000 reasons for our soul to bless the Lord, which is the basis for the theme of the album. “Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, Oh my soul worship His Holy Name, Sing like never before, Oh my soul, I’ll worship Your Holy Name.” In my opinion this song is, without a doubt, the standout off the album.
"Fires" is an energetic track that has the congregation enthusiastically clapping along, as it is a prayer that God would fill our heart with a passionate desire to serve Him. The first single "Never Once" is another highlight from the album, as it speaks of God's faithfulness, and offers a comforting reminder that he will never leave us or forsake us. The powerful chorus has Matt belting out, "Never once did we ever walk alone/Never once did you leave us on our own/You are faithful, God You are faithful."
Opening with pounding drums, "Where Would We Be" reminds the listener that we would be nowhere without the amazing love of Jesus, and how His love has rescued us from the darkness of the world. "We Could Change The World" kicks up the upbeat energy again, talking about how the world could be changed through the powerful love of God. The title of the song may be a little cliché, but the captivating message and anthemic vibe reconcile this fact.
"Magnificent", featuring piercing lead guitar and techno keyboard effects, is a simple song of praise and awe towards God's magnificence. The upbeat "Oh This God" speaks of a deep desire to shine for God, and how he will reign until the very end of time. It was also lovely to hear a seemingly U2 influenced guitar solo near the end of the song.10,000 Reasons closes out with "Endless Hallelujah", a beautiful song that speaks of the hope of eternal life with Jesus. Comprised of beautiful piano and deep strings in the background, this song closes the album on the perfect note.
Matt Redman's 10,000 Reasons project is a fantastic live worship album that wonderfully displays his pure talent as a singer/songwriter and worship leader. Each song off the album is filled with joy and hope, and they really excite and inspire me to worship God. Unlike other worship leaders, Matt possesses this rare ability to keep his material original and imaginative, which is a testament to why he is so popular. Every single song from this album could easily be added to your Sunday morning set list. If you're a fan of Chris Tomlin, Tim Hughes, Hillsong LIVE and Delirious you should not hesitate to pick up this album, which is by far the #1 worship album of 2011!
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