Tuesday, July 7, 2015

My top 5 hymns artist/album for newcomers

Hymns can be boring. I know I said that when I first sung it (or attempted to sing it) and I dreaded it so much. It's that imagery of old grandparents singing in the front pews at church with just a piano or worse an organ. It was never exciting like Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, etc. but you get the point. I admit, I slept several times during worship as a kid.

But, many hymns are lyrically beautiful. Of course, it's hard to understand, but when you take the time to look deeply into it, it's powerful. I grew to appreciate it, understand it, and love it. My hope with this list is not to convince you to start listening to hymns ONLY but to broaden your Christian musicality.

No specific order. Please note, some songs within the albums are not necessarily "hymns".

1) Enfield Resolved Music Vol. 1
  1. There is a Fountain
  2. Jesus Shall Reign
  3. And Can It Be?
  4. Lead On, O King Eternal
  5. Our Great God
  6. Crown Him With Many Crowns
  7. Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
  8. I Will Glory In My Redeemer
  9. O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
  10. Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven
  11. Blessed Assurance
  12. Be Thou My Vision
One of my favorite bands out there. I can't really explain why they're good, but they're good. That's all you need to know haha. Note, composing or modernizing hymns musically is difficult. My personal favorite - 1, 3, 12

2) Sovereign Grace 30 Decades of Songs for the Church
  1. Let Your Kingdom Come
  2. All I Have is Christ
  3. Jesus, Thank You
  4. Behold Our God (Who has held the oceans)
  5. O Great God
  6. The Glories of Calvary
  7. Oh the Deep, Deep Love
  8. Now Why This Fear
  9. The Glory of the Cross
  10. I Will Glory in My Redeemer
  11. Greater Than We Can Imagine
  12. I Have A Shelter
  13. I Stand in Awe
  14. Before the Throne of God Above
So many great songwriters and vocalists in this album. For full list of artists go here: http://sovereigngracemusic.org/Albums/30_Three_Decades_of_Songs_for_the_Church
My personal favorite - 2, 3, 5

3) Sam Ock Laus Deo
  1. Come Thou Fount
  2. Nothing But the Blood
  3. All the Way My Savior Leads Me
  4. Holy Holy Holy
  5. All Creatures of Our God and King
  6. Be Thou My Vision
  7. Faithful God
  8. The Love of God
  9. It is Will With My Soul

I didn't choose this not because he's my cousin hahahaha. But seriously, this is my favorite album. I love all the songs; matter of fact, all the hymns produced in this album are my favorite. I recommend listening to this album first. My personal favorite - 1, 2, 8

4) King Kaleidoscope Asaph's Arrows
  1. All Creatures
  2. Come Thou Fount
  3. In Christ Alone
  4. Jesus Paid it All
I always spell their name wrong or say it incorrectly, but they're a creative bunch. I think because of this album, I started to listen to hymns more. My personal favorite - 2.

5) Bob Kauflin Together for the Gospel Live I & II
  1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
  2. Come Praise and Glorify
  3. I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art
  4. Speak, O Lord
  5. Behold Our God
  6. Holy Holy Holy
  7. The Gospel Song
  8. Grace Greater Than All Our Sin
  9. I Hear the Words of Love
  10. Jesus Paid It All
  11. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
  12. All I Have is Christ
  13. I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow
  14. O Great God
  15. When Trials Come
  16. We Will Glorify
  17. A Mighty Fortress is Our God
  18. It is Well With My Soul
  19. How Firm a Foundation
  20. Oh the Deep, Deep Love
  21. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
  22. How Deep the Father's Love for Us
  23. How Sweet and Aweful is the Place
  24. My Hope is Built on Nothing Less
  25. I Will Glory in My Redeemer
  26. Arise, My Soul, Arise
  27. The Power of the Cross
  28. My Song is Love Unknown
  29. And Can It Be That I Should Gain
  30. There is a Fountain Filled With Blood
  31. Before the Throne of God Above
  32. In Christ Alone

Bob Kauflin man.... Bob Kauflin...... Phenomenal worship leader. This album(s) is just him playing the piano and the congregation singing. I'm not going to lie, for newcomers this album might be one of the most boring ones out there hahaha. Remember the imagery of old men singing? Well that pretty much sums up what this album is. However, there's a great sense of spiritual power hearing the congregation singing. Would it be weird if I told you that half the time I cried while listening? I did... It just demonstrates that there's no mandatory need for great musical progression, but worship is all about giving absolute glory to God. My personal favorite - 1, 7, 13, 23, 27

That concludes my list but there's so many more - Keith and Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend, Selah, Matt Papa, Matt Boswell, Jadon Lavik, Kathryn Scott, Sandra McCracken, Norton Hall Band, Ascend the Hill, Dave Hunt, etc.

My personal playlist here.