Having grown up in a very traditional church, the word "hymns" brings to mind a choir of gray-haired men and women singing songs that all generally sound the same to me. Therefore, when I received Out of Eden's new CD, Hymns, I was skeptical, to say the least. However, the group has totally blown me away. Never before have I imagined hymns to sound this good!
Out of Eden has always experimented with a variety of sounds to embellish its already unique soul music, and Hymns positively portrays these eclectic styles. The album begins with a contemporary, pop-like "Fairest Lord Jesus," followed by a more praise and worship sounding hymn, "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise." "God Will Take Care of You" is an impressive piece that reminds me of southern gospel music. Then in "Praise to the Lord the Almighty," Out of Eden includes various instruments to create a powerful, rock-esque sound with a guest appearance from Tree63's lead singer, John Ellis. "My Faith Has Found a Resting Place" is a beautiful acoustic song. Out of Eden even set aside one track for an amazing two-minute guitar solo. "Vision of Love" and "Have Mercy" are the project's two completely original songs written by Out of Eden (they had assistance on the others or used previously existing hymns), and interestingly enough, I found these to be my favorite songs on the album--even before I knew they were original. "Vision of Love" is an impressive track with a funk-like sound to complement the soulful vocals of Out of Eden. "Have Mercy" is an absolutely beautiful slow track with an incredible vocal performance and a wonderful piano intro, later incorporating the organ and strings.
Overall, Hymns is an absolutely fantastic piece of worship music--it's an amazing representation of how no matter what worship style you prefer, you can still worship God with it. By covering such a vast variety of genres (pop, rock, acoustic rock, hip-hop, gospel, funk, and traditional), Out of Eden has formed what I believe is one of its most remarkable pieces yet. These sisters have accomplished an impressive amount in the past years, performing concerts with Kirk Franklin, dc Talk and others, receiving Dove Awards, and earning their place on movie and show soundtracks. After hearing such an outstanding album, I am eager to see what God has in store for them in the future.
5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Olin JenkinsI've always enjoyed Out of Eden's excellent harmonies and production values, and this sister act has been anything but conventional. The only ingredient that's close to conventional about the trio is that it has always exercised uniquely magnificent harmonies. To follow up This is Your Life and Love, Peace and Happiness, on the cutting edge of pop music and rhythm and blues, Out of Eden presents…Similar sounding releases
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