Beating Time
TITLE: WORSHIP AT THE ABBEY
ARTISTS: various
WEBSITE: http://www.kingsway.co.uk
PRICE: £14.99 / £16.99
FORMAT: CD/DVD (14 tracks, 68 minutes)
STYLE: gospel/rock/pop
Recently I was listening to this album on my iPod while browsing the ‘Gospel & Worship’ section of the Virgin Megastore on Market Street in downtown San Francisco. Don’t worry, this wasn’t a field trip funded by your EN subscription. I was in California with my day job (yes, it’s tough, but someone has to do it).
The racks were brimming with a sea of unfamiliar and alien names. In my ears was Jocelyn Brown (who once shared a hit with Boy George). I searched in vain for any Phatfish, Lou Fellingham or Stuart Townend dividers. I guess I didn’t really expect to find any, but I was still disappointed.
Of course, there were plenty of natives like Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Casting Crowns. I guess I wasn’t surprised to find Brit superstars Delirious had made it. The next track was Geraldine Latty’s theological and energetic ‘First’:
First in pouring out your love upon on — before we asked
First in showing that a king could save us — not holding back
You are first in all the praise of heaven
First where people know that they’re forgiven
Jesus! The first to rise again
Jesus! The one who holds all things together
Jesus! We lift our praise to you
Jesus! We say that you are king forever
The one and only, first and last, Jesus!
...
Imagine my surprise and thrill as — at that very moment — I found Geraldine smiling right back at me from the cover of Worship At The Abbey! In the UK you have to buy the CD and DVD separately, but in the USA they are packaged together. I guess Kingsway don’t think America is ready for concentrated Townend, and I suspect this project is, in part, an attempt to make a foothold by showcasing the best the UK has to offer.
I used to have some real hang-ups over the ‘w’ word. I think I’d unconsciously taken the ‘24x7 worship’ thing to an extreme where it almost didn’t include singing together in church. Don’t be put off by the ‘a’ word either. This project was recorded at Studio One, Abbey Road, London. Geddit? It may be a staged event, but the authenticity of vital, heartfelt praise from the live congregation and musicians comes across really well.
Tim Hughes and Lou Fellingham contribute a couple of classic songs apiece, and it was good to be introduced to Andy Bromley and Mark Beswick. But the real find for me was American import, Smokie Norful. ‘Celebrate’ may take some outside their comfort zone, but his piano solo track ‘God is able’ is beautiful and powerful.
