Matt Redman “Coming Back to The Heart (Live Collection)" Album Review
Prime Cuts: Let Me See Jesus, Better is One Day/Facedown, Son of Suffering/Mercy
Overall Grade: 5/5
Celebrating 25 years in music ministry, Matt Redman releases "Coming Back to The Heart (Live Collection)" under the Integrity Music imprint. The record finds Redman on a retrospective journey as he revisits some of his biggest hits. Instead of just re-recording, Redman chooses to re-imagine them. Often, he combines similarly themed tracks as medleys. He even includes a new track, "Let Me See Jesus." On top of all these, Redman invited a small group of worship leaders and fans to record these 11 tracks live at the Beverly Theater in Las Vegas earlier this year.
The result? It sounds like a "greatest hits" package, so if you are familiar with Redman's music, you will find yourself singing along to every song. All the songs are top-notch anthems written with congregational singing in mind. Despite being over a decade old, "10,000 Reasons" still sounds engaging. How Redman draws the crowd to sing with him is simply stellar. The coupling of "Better is One Day" and "Facedown" is appropriate. "Facedown" is a robust response to the message of the earlier track that God is reigning in his temple court.
Fans will be pleasantly surprised when Redman tags Elevation Worship's "Do It Again" (a track co-written by Redman) to "We Praise You." The latter is a must-hear anthem with faith-building words: Let praise be a weapon/That silences the enemy/Let praise be a weapon/That conquers all anxiety. Celebrating 75 years since Stuart K. Hine wrote "How Great Thou Art," Redman re-cuts this hymn with a new verse attached. "Son of Suffering" (the song was featured in the TV series "The Chosen") effortlessly segues into "Mercy," accompanied by such outbursts of emotions that you can't help but shed a tear of thanksgiving.
Redman offers a subdued acoustic sound of the famous "Heart of Worship." The record's sole new song is the power ballad "Let Me See Jesus." In a befitting way to close off 25 years in ministry, Redman sings about the need to return to the essential: I've sung so many songs/Cried out at the top of my lungs/My heart's still reaching for/.../I just want to sing the truth/Here in these praises/Let me see Jesus. Enough said.
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