Matt Redman introduced Nathan Jess at Mission Worship’s “New Songs” Seminar over the weekend by saying that Nathan had soundchecked for him at an event in Northern Ireland, and that he’d been immediately struck by the strength of his voice. Admittedly, this was high on my list of compliments for Nathan - he has a voice that projects heart, feeling, emotion, and sincerity through his songs. It also turns out that he’s quite a songwriter, as his debut offering for Kingsway - ‘I Am Redeemed’ - shows. Let’s take a closer look.

Lyrically, this song portrays the Gospel message succinctly - telling a story of a man who came to earth, was betrayed, was raised up on the cross for our sins, and rose again to remain in Heaven with His Father for eternity. This message comes across poetically and personally, and like all the best worship songs, carries a degree of ownership for the worshipper - we can all take the message of this song for ourselves - we have been redeemed by Jesus and His sacrifice for us.

The arrangement is subtle, simple and effective. The influence of Claire & David Hamilton from Rend Collective works well in to the song - David’s guitar provides subtlety in the verses and a smooth opening riff to set the tone of the song (which also provides the bedrock for the chorus). Nathan’s vocal sits well in the mix - pushed forward, but not overpowering the backing. The drop back to just the acoustic guitar and vocal in the initial “Hallelujah” refrain is particularly well done, giving the song a base from which to build. This is the catalyst from which the song gets going - a strong progressive build-up follows in the subsequent choruses, with drums, bass and guitars working together. The layered vocals sit perfectly atop the build, providing texture and substance before a heavy guitar interlude releases a free, rocky rendition of the earlier “Hallelujah” refrain.

I’m really looking forward to hearing more of Nathan’s worship in the coming years - he has a purity in his worship that will inspire and encourage others, and also has the ability to put what’s on his heart into words, and poetic words at that. The Vineyard movement has always produced writers who can sing simple, personal love songs to the Lord, and in Nathan we have that and more - a passionate songwriter who’ll sing his heart out for the Lord.

Nathan’s single ‘I Am Redeemed’ is available on iTunes for a 79p download - buy it now! http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/i-am-redeemed-single/id480153235

In a conversation I had with Innes Johnston from eatacd.com last week, we were talking about some of the emerging artists and bands they had on the site, and Awaken found their way into the mix. A band whom Innes knows well, their efforts were mainly geared towards live playing (always with the promise of recorded material on the horizon) and the guys at eatacd.com wasted no time in getting them on board once their EP was produced. Their EP is now available for download here 

If I were to sum up this EP in one word, it would be “energy”. From the first 5 seconds, the guitar leads you into a highly charged introduction to “Known By You”. This celebration of who Jesus is (our Risen Saviour), and who we are in Him (His children, known by Him), powerfully expresses the Gospel in a lively, inspiring worshipful chorus. As could be expected from a band with two drummers, the rhythm is strong, driving, and the dominant force in the opening song, including a worshipfully uplifting display of drumming and vocals to close out the song.

I’m a huge fan of old songs and hymns being updated, when they’re done well, and the rendition of “There Is A Redeemer” definitely makes it’s way firmly into this bracket. From the subtle opening, with a clean delayed guitar, you are taken into an atmosphere of abandoned praise to the Lord in the chorus. Nothing is held back in this song, the drums are again powerful, the guitars and bass complement the heavy rhythm track well, and yet there is still space for the vocals to sit atop this mix and come to the fore. This rework of an old song is very reminiscent of Rend Collective Experiment, and would fit nicely with the latter’s version of “Thine Be The Glory” for feel, edge, and passion.

It is important when producing a short EP to display variety, and here we find ourselves at the title track. A moving, laid back introduction displays the quieter side to Awaken, with a subtle yet powerful vocal and guitar arrangement. You can almost hear the Spirit of the Lord moving in this track, building through the initial verses and choruses. The presence of the cello on this track gives a good point to drop back to, and this is particularly evident before the closing, highly charged chorus. Here, Awaken’s brand of rhythmic explosiveness and passion comes to the fore again, with rousing drums and powerful vocals.

The EP closes out with the sole acoustic track on the album - “All My Life”. A stirring declaration of faith, trust, and surrender, this song combines a warm acoustic guitar and cello backing with a moving vocal line. This song serves as a welcome reminder to us that everything we have, every gift and every treasure, is from Him and for Him. He holds all our promises, and all our hope is in Him. The message of this song is superbly put across, and will serve as a real blessing to anyone who listens.

These guys have got something. The rawness, the energy, the passion, the heart of Awaken all come across with this offering, and I pray that this would be the start of a great new chapter for them. Bless you guys.

I've been listening to this song a lot recently, it goes some way to describing where I'm at just now. God wants us to tear down the walls, loose the chains and free our hearts for Him. He wants the best for us, He wants our hearts. Giving our hearts back to Him is the least we can do.

Isaiah 6:8 shows us Isaiah's prophecy of the Lord asking "Whom shall I send, who will go for me", and of the response - "Here I am, send me". Seize the opportunity, stand up, put your hand up for the Lord, He will give you the tools you need. I pray this would be your anthem this week.

(It's a stirringly good video too.....)

Bless you,

Ed

Rend Collective's "Organic Family Hymnal" (on which this is track 1) can be found here on iTunes