Hope Chapel “Whatever May Come” Album Review

Prime Cuts:  Abandon, Son of God, Won Me Over

Dream Worship Records ought to get our thumbs up for championing worship music to the fore.  Set as an offshoot of Dream Records, the imprint has thus far brought us invigorating new worship records from veterans such as Darrell Evans, Tommy Walker, and Lakewood Church (Joel Osteen)'s senior worship leader Cindy Cruse Ratcliff.  Much more endearing is that Dream Worship has also created a platform for the music of new and upcoming church teams to be heard.  Over the course of this year alone, the team has serviced the church with new musical expressions of worship via the songs from New Hope Oahu, Rock Worship, Freedom Church, and Revive Worship amongst many others.  Hope Chapel is the imprint's latest find.   Hope Chapel is a community of believers whose vision is to bring the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world.  For over three decades, Hope Chapel has been producing original and cutting edge contemporary worship music.

"Whatever May Come" is the labor of love of the church's Tuesday night young adults' worship team.  What began as an idea to produce an EP of about five original songs later birthed into a full-fledged album project of ten newly written entries.  Two laudatory observations need to be made at the outset of this review:  first, the team is not afraid of soaking their songs in scripture.  Whilst many a lesser artist would keep the Bible at a tangent and treating their songs more as sacred love songs to Jesus, this is not the case with Hope Chapel.  Album opener "Psalm 121" is a prime example.  Starting off on a understated note with an acapella intro before slowly accelerating to the crescendo, the song sonically reflects the message of Psalm 121 as the Jew slowly but surely makes his pilgrimage towards God's holy hill. 

The second complimentary observation is that Hope Chapel like Hillsong Worship and Passion Worship are no sloths in their craft.  Rather than putting themselves on autopilot mode in borrowing clichés and recycled riffs, the team has worked hard to make sure the songs are singable and melodious enough for the most tune-death congregant to singalong. "Abandon" may get us to forget ourselves and be saturated with Jesus, but it's indelible hook will not let us go either.  Combing great theology and melody, "Won Me Over" is a sublime piece that gives exposition to how the Cross impacts our life:  "The cross has spoken/My chains are broken/Your love has won me over/Now I stand forgiven." Most graphic is "The Miracle."  Here the team brings us back to the Resurrection Day of our Lord with realism and power. 

Worship pastors who are keen to teach congregations God's truth through the time of worship may do well to include "Son of God" in their worship set.  Recalling the words of Colossians 1 and Hebrews 2, "Son of God" speaks of Christ's sovereignty over the cosmos over a melody that is pure majestic.  The line: "Though stars will fall and this world will fade/Still Jesus, You alone remain" really strikes a chord in the heart.  If you are looking for worship music that speaks with Biblical authority over tunes that register with the heart and mind, look no farther than Hope Chapel's "Whatever May Come."

 

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