Hopping on the worship bandwagon, now rolling at full speed, is Sparrow Label Group with their Worship Together label and its vast companion website, www.worshiptogether.com. Here are the latest offerings from this up and coming resource center for worship leaders.
From the opening beats, it is obvious there is a very different direction and producer behind Pour Over Me: Worship Together Live 2001 than on the sibling releases from Worship Together. Producer David Zaffiro (formerly of Whitecross) adds his fiery touch to the sound, adding a passionate feel to the CD and highlighting the strong emotive performances from the worship leaders. There is a small touch of electric guitar in places, reflecting Zaffiro's metal roots and adding a gut-level punch to the mix.
Worship leaders Stuart Townend, Chris Tomlin, David Ruis, Tom Lane, and Matt Redman demonstrate their characteristic leadership qualities, but fans of heavier music will find this CD to have more edge than most worship albums. The ever-present acoustic guitar is supplemented by crunchy electric riffs and even a lead solo or two. Whitecross lovers will long for their precious metal and expect to hear Scott Wenzel's screechy vocals, but they are not here. In all, this is the best overall recording in this roundup, showing more personality and direction than the plain vanilla Acoustic Worship series or the straight-laced Brit album.
3.5 tocks
