As a worship leader, I'm constantly looking for new worship albums. With all the varying forms that worship music has taken on, it's always to be hoped that someone will do something new, different, and exciting. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that with this album.
The concept is not new at all; a cappella music is the oldest form of music, and the earliest forms of worship in the church were sans instrumentation. But a cappella music is enjoying a resurgence in the church. The feeling is that sometimes we get so wrapped up in the instrumentation of worship that we forget to just worship.
The group is also not a new one. This is only the latest in a series of a cappella worship albums the group has recorded. This, however, was my first exposure to them, and I don't think it will be my last.
Over the course of 14 tracks, the Zoe Group takes 13 songs and puts them to sparkling, stellar vocal arrangements. There's none of the "human instruments" that are heard in some other a cappella groups; there are simply nine human voices (plus an audience), punctuated by the sound of hands clapping. Highlights of the album include the closing pair of songs, "My God Reigns" and "This Is How We Overcome," both of which are upbeat, hand-clapping numbers; as well as the mellow and moving combination of "You Are My All in All" and "Agnus Dei."
When the Music Fades is a 40-minute masterpiece for quiet times, or anytime you just need something different.
On a personal note: any time I play a given CD 3 times in a 24-hour period, you know it's got something going for it.
5 tocks
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