Modern Hymns – Shane and Shane and The Worship Initiative
****
Modern Hymns is a collaborative effort of Shane and Shane and The Worship Initiative, along with Bryan Fowler and Semsen Music. This album includes covers of mostly Getty Music hymns with some wonderful choral arrangements.
I really enjoyed this new project of ten excellent songs performed and produced well. Here are a few comments about each song:
Come Unto Jesus – This song was written by Jordan Kauflin, Laura Story and Matt Merker, produced by Bryan Fowler, and features Shane and Shane. The song, which builds powerfully, features, guitar, bass, drums, keys, backing vocals, and choir.
Key lyric:
Come unto Jesus, come unto Jesus
Lay down your burdens, He is enough
Come unto Jesus, rest in His love
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
- More of this review
- Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Keep the Feast by Skye Peterson and Ben Shive
I Set My Hope on Jesus – This song was written by Keith Getty, Matt Boswell and Matt Papa, produced by Bryan Fowler, and features Dinah Wright. The song features piano, drums, bass, guitar, and choir.
Key lyric:
I set my hope on Jesus
My rock, my only trust
Who set His heart upon me first
I set my hope on Jesus
God of Every Grace – This song was written by Bryan Fowler, Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Matt Boswell, produced by Bryan Fowler, and features Fowler and Shane and Shane. The song features, guitar, keys, drums, bass, and choir.
Key lyric:
Now to the God of every grace
Who counts my tears, who holds my days
I sing through sorrows, sing with faith
O praise the God of every grace
Speak O Lord – This song was written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, produced by Bryan Fowler, and features Shane and Shane. The song, which builds powerfully, features keys, drums, bass, guitar, and choir.
Key lyric:
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us
Speak, O Lord, ’til Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory
All Sufficient Merit – This song was written by Bethany Barnard, Bryan Fowler and Shane Barnard, produced by Fowler and Adam Westlake, and features Lucy Shea. The song, which builds powerfully, features guitar, keys, bass, drums, and choir.
Key lyric:
It is done, it is finished, no more debt I owe
Paid in full, all sufficient merit now my own
The Lord Almighty Reigns – This song was written by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell and Matt Papa, produced by Bryan Fowler, and features Hayden Browning. The song features keys, drums, bass, guitar, and choir.
Key lyric:
Certain of that day
Christ we will proclaim
Oh, that more would share the prize
Salvation in His name
Rejoice – This song was written by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, Bryan Fowler, Ben Shive and Skye Peterson, produced by Bryan Fowler, and features Davy Flowers. The joyful song features keys, drums, bass, guitar, and choir.
Key lyric:
With each breath, he’s given Christ the Lord
In these times we live in, we will praise the Lord
Throughout every season, I am sure
We have every reason to praise the Lord
I Am Not My Own – This song was written by Skye Peterson, Ben Shive, Bryan Fowler and Tom Anderson, produced by Fowler, and features Robbie Seay. The song features keys, drums, guitar, bass, and choir.
Key lyric:
I belong to the Lord, oh I am not my own
I belong to the Lord, I am not my own
I will honor Him for this I know
I belong to the Lord, I am not my own
All My Boast Is In Jesus – This song was written by Bryan Fowler, Keith Getty, Matt Boswell and Matt Papa, produced by Fowler, and features Josh Duncan. The song features drums, bass, guitar, and choir.
Key lyric:
All my boast is in Jesus
All my hope is His love
And I will glory forever
In what the cross has done
Remember Him – This beautiful song was written by David Belt and Shane Barnard, produced by Barnard and features Shane and Shane and Belt. The song features acoustic guitar, strings, piano, drums, and choir.
Key lyric:
Oh taste and see that the Lord is good
Give thanks and sing of His endless love
Remember Jesus until He comes again
Remember Him
Favorite songs:
Come Unto Jesus
God of Every Grace
Speak O Lord
All Sufficient Merit
Remember Him
Look Up – Ringo Starr
***
Look Up is the 84-year-old former Beatle drummer Ringo Starr’s twentieth album and his first full-length record six years after releasing a series of EPs. The country music album was produced by T Bone Burnette, who recruited leading Americana, folk and bluegrass music virtuosos including Alison Krauss, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Larkin Poe and Lucius to appear on the album. Burnett recorded Starr’s drums in Los Angeles with Starr’s longtime collaborator Bruce Sugar producing his vocals. Burnett, with assistance from Daniel Tashian and Dennis Crouch, recorded the other artists in Nashville.
Burnett, who plays guitar on most of the songs, and who has songwriting credits on nine of the eleven songs, deliberately wrote songs in Starr’s sweet spot to highlight his voice. “I tried to write songs that he could sing in his sleep,” Burnett stated.
Starr’s love of country goes back decades. He sang lead on the Beatles versions of Carl Perkins’s “Honey Don’t” and the Buck Owens’ hit “Act Naturally”. In 1970, Starr released his second solo album, Beaucoups of Blues, a country album he recorded in Nashville with noted country producer/musician Pete Drake.
Starr’s vocals are among his best in years, and the album is his best since his early 1970’s post Beatles projects. My favorite songs on the album are “Breathless”, “Look Up”, “Never Let Me Go”, “Rosetta” (featuring guitar from Joe Walsh), and “Thankful,” a love letter Starr wrote for wife of 43 years, Barbara Bach, featuring Alison Kraus.
Keep the Feast by Skye Peterson and Ben Shive
This week’s song of the week is “Keep the Feast” by Skye Peterson and Ben Shive. The communion song, written by Peterson and Shive, was performed at the 2024 Sing! Getty Music Worship Conference in Nashville. Watch the performance here.
Verse 1
Joyfully we join You at Your table
Pleading not our righteousness
By Your wealth of mercy we are able
Now to feast in confidence
Chorus
Take this bread and eat
Take this cup and drink
Remember how He loved us
Rejoice and keep the feast
Verse 2
Who is fit to feast with such a Savior?
Who His sandals could untie?
Who are we that He would show us favor?
Granting us this gift of life
Verse 3
Happy sign of friendship and reunion
With the blessed Three in One
Foretaste of that glorious communion
Vision of the world to come
