Worship music: the current obvious popular trend of Christian Musicdom, the topic of seemingly endless critical argumentation and blah-blah, the source of many heated debates amongst Christian music fanpersons. It feels almost impossible for me to write a review of a new worship project without mentioning all of the (admittedly tiring) contention in its genre. It's created a sense of wariness in me as well--whenever I hear of a popular act announcing a new worship project in the pipeline, whenever a label announces the signing of a new worship artist or band, I often can't help but roll my eyes and think the worst.
Leave it to a relatively unknown indie artist to melt some of that premonition away. Mike Kinnebrew's newest LP is a purely worshipful, simplistically delivered, and often surprisingly attractive listen. He doesn't stretch his genre (as worship has been rigidly forced into becoming) in any particular way; there's no cutting-edge originality in what he's crafted on Vertical. Rather, what makes his debut worth noting is how he has captured what worship is really all about.
The songs on Vertical are attempts at capturing a particular atmosphere for worship in ways that bring Christians together to worship God. That sounds like a warning signal at first, but don't confuse gentle, uplifting song craft for pop accessibility or selling-out. There are no clunky piano-ballad radio-hits on this release, no contrived tear-jerker lyrical tactics, no attempts at producing the next "I Can Only Imagine" or "It Is You" or "Walk by Faith" or other such songs that popularized worship for radio. While it'd be grand to hear worship this much better on the airwaves when compared to most of what else is currently played, Kinnebrew seems to have avoided many of the pitfalls of his popular contemporaries by not worrying over whether his songs are radio-nice.
The record is a mix of mid to low-tempo tracks, most featuring a slight southern-folk feel with pop melody. The record starts off on some precarious footing in the first couple songs--the lyrics are very typical and familiar, full of the usual "I pray to you" or "worship you" or "give myself to you" lines, but the melodies do immediately feel more focused and well-crafted than usual pop worship. It's by track six that everything really clicks- the songs become sweet, heartfelt melodies, and even though the lyrics are as typical as they come, I couldn't help but be impressed by this guy's talent for creating a truly moving and beautiful atmosphere for worship.
I mentioned the simplistic lyrics in the previous paragraph--they were a source of some deliberation on my part. Kinnebrew and Christopher Heidler have a gift for writing beautiful worship melodies and crafting a moving atmosphere, but where we get such stirring musical moments throughout the record, we get often tired and worn out lyrical lines. It holds back an otherwise commendable recording.
There's no denying that Mike Kinnebrew has got something going for him. Whether it's his care for creating an honest worship experience or the slight southern twang that gives his sound a sense of musicality that's missing in most modern worship, he's got an independent start here that should be noted. In perspective, he's already more listenable and praise-worthy than most in his genre. If he expands his lyricism and stretches his musicality just to the next step, he'd be truly great. Church worship bands- give Vertical a listen, and learn. Church goers--give Vertical a listen, buy if it catches your fancy, enjoy the music and worship God through his songs.
3 tocks
