20th February, 2008
JUSTIN MICHAEL
Album: Our God Saves
Artist: Paul Baloche
Year: 2007
Label: Sony
Enhanced: Yes
In a word: Worth it
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"Our God Saves, the opening track, is so catchy that I guarantee you’ll be singing the hook while ordering your coffee after spinning the disc in your car." |
OK, so you may only know the name Baloche for the song Open The Eyes Of My Heart, or Above All, but if you’ve never gone any further into the catalogue, you really are missing out. Mr B has an amazing gift for marrying simple song structures and universal worship themes in melodies that are so singable you won’t even realise you’ve never heard the song before.
There will be comparisons here with Tomlin and crew, and lyrically, it is hard to articulate exactly how Baloche is different. Judge for yourself, but it seems to me that each of the worship writers we hold in esteem share a commonality of studying the ‘art’ of the congregational song as well as carrying an uncompromising desire for music to be part of their personal worship as well.
“I’ve realised the value of creating personal worship times. Even though I teach worship, read about it, and sing about it,” says Baloche. “It’s like prayer. We can talk about prayer, go to prayer seminars, but there comes a time where we need to just “DO IT”.
Our God Saves, the opening track, is so catchy that I guarantee you’ll be singing the hook while ordering your coffee after spinning the disc in your car. I Cling To The Cross, a duet with Martin Smith (Delirious?), is a contemplation on the promise of the cross: “I cling to the cross / and everything it means / I know it’s the only hope I have for saving me /...with a thankful heart I come / and cling to the cross”. The refrain will get the older crew singing too with a gutsy rendition of No Turning Back.
Baloche says of the album - “A lot of attention was given to the lyrics in hopes of expanding our worship vocabulary and singing Biblical theology.” He has gone to the same lengths with co-writes, as he did with the previous album, A Greater Song. Names like Lincoln Brewster, Matt Redman, Brenton Brown and Hillsong United’s Mia FIeldes and Kari Jobe all appear here.
There are plenty of musical highlights like Rock of Ages which borrows from the old hymn, On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand; along with the driving rock of The Kingdom Of God.
I simply find that the honesty and integrity of his music and its process is the key to Paul Baloche remaining one of the most consistent contributors to the world wide music of the church.
Our God Saves continues the legacy.
~ www.myspace.com/paulbaloche
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