Album Review :
Great Awakening - Songs in Secret
By Eric Pettersson in Reviews | Comments closed
Artist: Great Awakening
Album: Songs in Secret
Label: Come & Live! Records
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Reviewer: Eric Pettersson
Tracklisting
- Explore
- My Gold
- Maranatha
- Lazarus
- Let Me Hear (Ravish Your Heart)
- Where Your Heart Is Prevailing
- The Invitation
- Carry Me Away
- Come; Follow
- Many Waters
A single string is plucked on a clean electric guitar as vocalist Cole Johnson softly sings “I am determined to know nothing but You.” The rest of the band comes in a few lines later for “Can I explore the depths of Your kindness,” gaining full speed by the chorus with some distortion and thick melody. The song is “Explore,” the opening track on Great Awakening’s Come&Live! release, Songs in Secret, a collection of worship songs filled with love for God. The songs are a little slower than today’s modern worship anthems, putting them more in line with “alternative” worship bands like The Glorious Unseen and Ascend the Hill, except that Great Awakening sounds consistently light and joyful. The vocals are very emotive, and the music has some flair with intertwining guitar melodies and big, big drums, at times reminiscent of Thrice’s softer work from Water EP or Beggars, while even softer tracks like “The Invitation” show a little influence from Jars of Clay’s 1995 acoustic debut. Lyrically, the songs really focus on an intimate, personal, love-filled relationship with God, including such highlights as “Let Me Hear (Ravish Your Heart)” and “Many Waters.”
Overall: As the name suggests, Songs in Secret are personal and intimate expressions of love towards God. Great Awakening’s “adult alternative” sound will click well with fans of anything from Coldplay to The Glorious Unseen, bringing music that is both enjoyable and uplifting. Click here to download the album straight from the Come&Live! website, and if you like it, don’t forget to support the band financially.