Coming Back to the Heart: Live Collection – Matt Redman
****

Coming Back to the Heart is Matt Redman’s twentieth album. It was recorded live at the Beverly Theater in Las Vegas, with stripped-back instrumentation in order to make room for the voices of local worship leaders and singers present.
On this album, Redman reimagines ten of the songs he has written or co-written over the past twenty-five years, with “Better is One Day” being the oldest. In addition to that song, other favorites included are “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)”, “Heart of Worship” and “Blessed Be Your Name”.
One of the things you will notice is how he creatively combines similarly themed songs as medleys. For example, he combines “Better is One Day” with “Facedown,” songs with the theme of God’s presence, and “Never Once” with “You Never Let God,” songs about the faithfulness of God.
vThe album also includes “Let Me See Jesus,” a new and previously unreleased song.
I have enjoyed Redman’s music for many years. I really appreciated the freshness he brought to these songs. The album will be enjoyed by those familiar with these songs and Redman and those just being introduced to his music.

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• More of this review and a review of Zoo TV: Live in Dublin 1993 – U2
• Music News
• Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Approach, My Soul by Jordan Kauflin and Laura Story

Zoo TV: Live in Dublin 1993 – U2
*** ½

This EP features five songs from U2’s 1993 Zoo TV tour in Dublin. I thought that the timing of the EP was interesting. Following U2’s incredible forty show run at the Sphere in Las Vegas for their U2: UV residency where the band played Achtung Baby in its entirety each night, one might think that a live album from those shows would be released. Perhaps someday. Instead, this EP features four songs from Achtung Baby – “Zoo Station,” “Mysterious Ways,” “Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World,” and “Love is Blindness,” with “Stay (Faraway, So Close!) from Zooropa.
Still, the performances here are excellent, as is the production quality, especially for a live recording.

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Approach, My Soul by Jordan Kauflin and Laura Story
oThis week’s song of the week is “Approach, My Soul” by Jordan Kauflin and Laura Story. The song was premiered at the 2024 Sing! Getty Music Worship Conference. Kauflin and Story reintroduce a text by John Newton, wrapped in new music and an all-new chorus. You can listen to the song here.

Verse 1
Approach, my soul, the mercy seat,
where Jesus answers prayer;
there humbly fall before His feet,
for none can perish there.
Thy promise is my only plea,
with this I venture nigh;
Thou calls our burdened souls to Thee,
and such, O Lord, am I.
Chorus
Oh wondrous love!
Oh boundless grace!
Rejoice my soul forever,
Christ has made a way!
Verse 2
Bowed down beneath a load of sin,
by Satan sorely pressed,
by wars without, and fears within,
I come to Thee for rest.
Be Thou my shield and hiding place,
that, sheltered near Thy side,
I may my fierce accuser face,
and tell him Thou hast died.
Verse 3
O wondrous love, to bleed and die,
to bear the cross and shame,
that guilty sinners such as I,
might plead Thy gracious name.
The tempted soul He tells, “Be still,
My promised grace receive.”
‘Tis Jesus speaks; I must, I will,
I can, I do believe.