Sinach “Greatest Lord” Album Review

Prime Cuts: I Exalt You (with Leeland), King of Glory (with Darlene Zschech), With My Hands (with Micah Stampley)

Overall Grade: 3/5

Sinach released her first album in 2008. Consistently through the last 13 years she has been building her catalog with many releases. However, it was only until Michael W. Smith recorded Sinach's "Way Maker" and scored a top 10 Billboard Christian hit with it, that she was brought to the fore. And when Leeland, Darlene Zschech and William McDowell, Passion, The McClures, Caleb and Kelsey, and many others began harping on "Way Maker," Sinach became a household name for many attuned to worship music. Slowly she began building a repertoire among her peers and she caught the attention of Integrity Music. "Greatest Lord," therefore, is her first major album after the mega success of her signature song "Way Maker."

"Greatest Lord" is impressive when you read its track listing. On this 13-song collection, Sinach shares the microphone with a red-carpet of who's who in Christian music. Her duet partners include Darlene Zschech, Micah Stampley, Leeland, Nathaniel Bassey, Penam Percy Paul, Jekalyn Carr, Da'Dra Guesthouse, and Maranda Curtis. Moreover, Sinach's booming voice is just as big as her guest list. Take a listen to the album opener and title track "Greatest Lord" and be prepared to be blown away by her note-holding vocals as she teases out every ounce of passion out of each note.

Sinach excels particularly well with the power-building worship ballads. The stirring strings, Micah Stampley's velvety vocals, and Sinach's Jennifer-Hudson-like soars make "With My Hands" a stand out. Though Darlene Zschech and Sinach's vocals don't integrate very well, they don't discount  the message of "King of Glory," which speaks of how God still works today. Meanwhile, Leeland and Sinach give us a sample of what true worship sounds like with "I Exalt You."

However, the album has two major weaknesses. First, often the songs start off promisingly, but by the time the choruses arrive, the songs disintegrate. This is because they lack tangible hooks and they are devoid of well-throughout structures.  Second, though lyrically all the songs deal with worship, they often traverse along cliches and over-used lines making the songs sound trite and inauthentic. Some examples include lines such as "There is no name greater/There is no name bigger"or With my hands lifted unto You/And my voice singing aloud/I bless, bless Your name"or "In your presence, everything is new/ Joy, joy, joy is my song." 

"Greatest Lord" is to be prided for Sinach's sincere and heartfelt worship. But she is often let down by her songs which do not go deeper than the veneer of what's passable these days as worship songs.

 

 

Tags : sinach Integrity Music Darlene Zschech leeland maranda curtis Sinach “Greatest Lord” Album Review Micah Stampley