MARCUS CHEONG listens to David and Nicole Binion’s latest…
Dwell: A Live Worship Experience
David and Nicole Binion
Integrity Music, 2018
In a Word: Immersive
“For a live recording, the sound is impressive. There is a crispness to the vocals and a clarity in the mix of guitars, keys and drums while retaining the atmosphere of authentic worship.”
The Binions have dedicated more than 20 years to leading worship and training new generations of worship leaders. After 10 years and five recordings at Covenant Church Texas and their continuing role on TBN’s Praise! TV program, the Binions have launched Dwell Ministries to “To create a mentoring space for worshipers and experience the presence of God in an unstructured way…A space to dwell.”
Recorded with a live audience at TBN Dallas, Texas where they host monthly ‘Dwell’ nights, this album features original worship songs written by the Binions in collaboration with Grammy winner Aaron Lindsay, Planetshaker Mitch Walker, and Dove Award winners Krissy Nordhoff and Michael Farren.
For a live recording, the sound is impressive. There is a crispness to the vocals and a clarity in the mix of guitars, keys and drums while the overall sound still retains the atmosphere of authentic worship. The reactions of the audience in the midst of the worship experience gives an energy to the album as it constantly reminds us that these are not just songs for the sake of it but a communal worship experience. This is real worship that doesn’t follow the rules of a radio friendly edit. The tracks range from three minute praise songs to 10 minute free-flowing worship sessions.
Highlights include I Can’t Stay Here (below) written while reflecting on the 35 days of excruciating pain leading up to David’s corneal transplant surgery. It is a song of victory through pain that only experience can forge. Doxology is an epic nine-and-a-half minute track that modernises an age-old hymn for a new generation and spontaneously transforms into a Gospel worship anthem in the middle of the original melody.
Dwell is available as both a physical CD with 10 tracks and a digital album of 14 tracks. The length of some the tracks push beyond the limits of physical media, making the digital experience the preferred choice with the four bonus tracks. Lyrics are often directly taken from the Bible or are poetic paraphrases of Scriptural truths with personal experiences interwoven. In the tradition of much great worship, the songs are written in the first person (that is, “I know”; “I hear”; “We worship”). The intent is clearly for the audience not to passively just listen but to engage with these songs and join the chorus by adopting the lyrics as personal prayers.
The name of the album is aptly chosen as this is an immersive worship experience. Much care has gone into creating a sound that can lead to an encounter with God and then help the listener linger within His presence. With this goal, it is more than a melody that stays with the listener but something greater that will Dwell.
