In Christ Alone: Modern Hymns Of Worship

Not Good.

So, I picked this disc up without sampling it, because I thought, how could I go wrong with these two artists. I'd always liked everything Bethany Dillon and Mike Hammit, (Sanctus Real), had done, but this fell short. These two are very gifted, and the songs themselves are beautiful modern hymns, but the arrangements are utterly goofy. They sound unauthentic. For example, why would you do "O Church Arise" in a minor key? Nothing about this beautiful song lends itself to this. In a lot of songs, by changing a song from a major key to a minor key, or vice versa, helps to bring out a depth to the song that may generally go unnoticed. It did not work for this song.

I appreciate new arrangements of songs, but with worship songs, we've seen it a lot where it sounds like the goal of the recording was not to worship God in a fresh way, but to make it to the Christian "Top 40". This disc is not at that point, but is down the same path. They tried too hard to make these songs fresh. These songs didn't need any help. March 22, 2008

An Pleasant Surprise

n Christ Alone: Modern Hymns Of Worship is a brand new album by Bethany Dillon and Matt Hammitt (whom you may know as the lead vocalist of the band Sanctus Real). The album offers exactly what you'd expect if judging by the title: a selection of modern hymns. These are not just straightforward recitations of the songs, though, but are what could best be described as alt-pop adaptations. The artists come through with several different musical styles and each takes turns singing lead. Somehow it combines to make a great album. A reviewer at Christianity Today says, "those looking for more originality and lyrical depth in modern worship might enjoy this unusually crafted collection of modern hymns set to alternative pop arrangements and sung by Bethany Dillon and Matt Hammitt."

You are probably familiar with most of the songs. The album features several tracks by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend (including, of course, the title track) along with selections by Martin Smith (of Delirious fame), Tim Hughes, Vicky Beeching and a couple of others. The songs focus primarily on the person and work of Jesus Christ, making this an ideal selection for listening to this week as we prepare for Easter.

Here is the song list:

1. Clinging to the Cross
2. In Christ Alone
3. Jesus Is Lord
4. Joy Has Dawned
5. O Church Arise
6. God Of Justice
7. On The Third Day
8. The Power Of The Cross
9. Adoration
10. How Deep The Father's Love For Us
11. In The Cross Alone I Glory
12. The Wonder Of The Cross

I quickly fell for their arrangements of "Jesus is Lord," "Joy Has Dawned," "On the Third Day" and "In the Cross Alone I Glory." But truly, there isn't a rotten selection among them. I hadn't anticipated enjoying this album but was glad I picked it up. It was a very pleasant surprise. March 19, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...