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CD Review
Amazing Grace
Hymns 4 Worship
Assorted Artists © 2004 Integrity Music.
Review by Jo van Leerdam
Ever since the Reformation, hymns have been a means of both expressing
and sharing faith. They have encouraged, taught and refreshed believers,
and given a common expression of faith, hope and trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ among His children, across the world and across generations.
Following the successful Songs 4 Worship collection which featured many of the more modern worship songs that have become global favourites, Hymns 4 Worship is a 2 CD collection of favourite hymns, performed and produced by some of the most prominent artists in the modern worship movement.
The liner notes state that “this project started as a vision to take timeless hymns of the past and reinterpret them for a whole new generation. The message remains the same while the music reflects the sound of our time.” If this was the aim of the artists and producers, then I would say they pretty much hit the nail on the head.
The drawcard for younger people would be the contemporary artists with whom they are familiar from other albums and genre, and the more contemporary arrangements may give a new relevance to the hymns which have meant so much to so many generations. Some of these hymns may even be “new” to members of the younger generation who with the abundance of ‘popular worship music’ (such as Hillsong) might never have heard them.
The appeal for the older generations would be in the hymns themselves. A large number of them are well known in Reformed circles, including “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (you can’t get much more Reformed than that!) which is beautifully sung by Brian Doerksen. Other well known artists include 4Him, Amy Grant, Michael W Smith, Darlene Zschech and the Maranatha! Singers.
The liner notes have all the words of the hymns printed which I think is excellent, but there is little further information given other than current copyright information for this production. It would have been great to see a brief history or background of each hymn given so that the younger generations at whom this album is aimed could gain a greater understanding of the inspiration behind each one. There is often a powerful story behind the writing of a hymn, and it would be great for younger people today to understand the way in which the Holy Spirit has roused people to express their faith and experiences in song in previous generations.
It must have been a challenge to compile an album of
hymns that doesn’t sound like it has been made before, but this is a
collection which will appeal to a wide audience including some teens,
many young adults and most of the middle and older generations. It is
contemporary enough to be interesting but faithful enough to tradition
so as to not be offensive or trite. This album probably wouldn’t appeal
to those who would hope for pipe organs and choirs as the arrangements
are quite contemporary, but the music does not overwhelm the words and
the hymns are beautifully presented.
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