Vital Worship “Songs for the Living King Volume 2” Album Review

Prime Cuts: My God is Stronger, That's Who Jesus Is, O Blessed Tree

Despite the deluge of worship albums coming from megachurches, there's something refreshing about Vital Worship's brand new set "Songs for the Living King Volume 2."  Rather, than just allowing one church team to dominate an entire record of songs, Vital Worship gathers songs from growing church worship leaders as well as more established church teams.  With each team contributing just one song each, they have submitted the cream of the crop for this album's inclusion.  As a result, coming from individual churches of various sizes, the songs don't appear to have the manufactured gloss as some worship albums these days.  And they don't appear to come from the same conveyer belt tagged with the standard tropes and clichés.  What you get here are songs with uniquely crafted melodies and lyrics that are made to service the church in her worship.

Wasting no time on frills and whistles, the album launches right into worship with For All Seasons' "King Forever." Lifting Jesus as king with a holy abandonment, this Kari Jobe-esque ballad with a driving groove deserves to be a worship staple across churches.  Josh Bayne & The Classic City Collective's "My God is Stronger" is so catchy that it's a song you want to put on repeat.  Exalting the Lordship of Jesus over the wind and the waves, this is the type of song that will dispel all fears from our lives. Todd Wright, who has a striking vocal nuance that calls to mind Paul Wilbur and Rend Collective, gives the theme of Christ's death and resurrection a refreshing read as he ties the Cross of Jesus with the crosses we have to carry for Him.  Soteriology and sanctification are gloriously interacted over a sublimely catchy tune.

You can never get enough songs about Jesus.  Stringing together the various images of Jesus as unfolding over the narratives of Scripture, People of the Earth's "That's Who Jesus is" is pulverising.  While most of the recordings here are studio recordings, Justin Kintzel's "We Are Yours" is a live recording that beautifully captures the holy anticipation of the congregation and Kintzel's soaring tenor. Benji Cowart, perhaps is one of the better known writers and worship leaders here, contributes "Scandalous." The song is passable without charting too much new ground.  Maybe it's because of the song's titular and subject matter, but it resembles too much Hillsong UNITED's "Scandal of Grace." 

Songs for the Living King, Vol. 2 is the follow up to the Dove nominated 2014 release, Vital Worship: Songs for the Living King. This compilation not only is an extension of the preceding set, but it gives us lots of fresh and engaging tunes with words that offer deeper expressions of worship.  With a hosts of worship leaders of churches of numerous sizes involved, strength indeed comes when God's people unite.

 

Tags : vital worship vital worship new album Vital Worship “Songs for the Living King Volume 2” Album Review vital worship For All Seasons Josh Bayne & The Classic City Todd Wright people of the earth we are the people of the earth Benji Cowart Justin Kintzel