(longest post title award, check!)

[ bio ]

a lot of you might not know the name scott cunningham, but hopefully this review will pique your interest.

mr. cunningham is a gifted worship leader and pastor @ calvary chapel costa mesa. currently, among other things, scott is the director of the school of worship @ costa mesa.

about 2 weeks ago i ordered and received his new album; ‘Til The Whole World Hears.

TTWWH is a delight. an independent release, written & produced wonderfully. before we get into the nitty gritty, i wanted to state that my overall take on this album is: Order One As Soon As Possible.

[ review ]

Album – ‘Til The Whole World Hears
Artist – Scott Cunningham
Label – Independent
Available – Here Here &  Here

TTWWH is cunningham’s follow up to his first full-length record Grace Amazing. even a look at the covers of each demonstrates that TTWWH is a new era for this worship leader.

first of all, large accolades go out for the album length. coming in at just over 61 minutes, TTWWH gives you a lot to listen to; 14 tracks (13 songs + 1 reprise) with varied instrumentation on each.

turning to the songs themselves: the songs are thoughtful, layered and just a bit off the beaten path of the ccm-worship-cd genre, which causes you to listen intently and wonder what exactly is coming up next.

TTWWH is easily defined as a ‘worship’ album. each of the tracks are beautifully Christ-centric and deal with wide themes of Christ’s nature and work in the life of His people.

the title track opens the album as a rousing get-up-and-go song. immediately you notice cunningham’s use of Scripture in his writing. while that practice is sometimes frowned at by other critics, i found that the lyrics (throughout) made me mindful of things i’ve read in God’s Word, rather than distracting me from the music. the Scripture use is natural and appropriate.

the high points on the record (for me) were You Welcomed Me Home, a very personal, conversion-oriented song, and Shelter.

Shelter has been on repeat at my office and in our car for a few days now. sung with cunningham’s daughter (who does a fantastic job with a difficult vocal part), Shelter is quite psalmian in lyrics and draws you in with the sparse instrumentation and powerful melody.

Shelter illustrates the overall sweetness of this album, both in lyric and melody. song after song you are reminded of Christ’s overwhelming love for mankind. TTWWH captures the tenderness and affection found in Christ and then redirects those feelings upward in worship.

seldom do i truly feel ministered to by listening to a cd, but TTWWH does that for me. you understand cunningham’s genuine heart for praise and pastoring through each piece and, by the end, you find yourself thinking about Jesus, not a man, or a band, or even a message…just Jesus.

a few notes on the production.

TTWWH has, generally, the same instrumental makeup of most worship albums, with a few special additions (clemmer dulcimer on Look To Jesus, programming throughout).

the electric guitar parts are executed excellently, planting melodic hooks in your mind that grab your attention during any subsequent listen.

i very much enjoy the soundscape of Great Is The Mystery and the use of hammond on several of the tracks.

in fact, a look at the liner notes reveals that a lot of familiar friends joined scott on this recording (at least familiar to calvary chapel folk). danny donnelly, sean cimino, neil godding, dan bailey, zach vestnys, isabelle smith and others lent their talents to this project, and the quality comes through wonderfully.

the shining point of the production though, is definitely cunningham’s vocal parts. as someone who has heard scott over the last number of years i can say with some confidence that he has really refined his vocals into the strong, smooth and heartfelt melodies you hear on TTWWH.

a few words in closing.

as a life-long calvary chapel kid, this album felt like something we at times call ‘Old Calvary,’ except, it felt like the new generation of ‘Old Calvary,’ if that makes sense. TTWWH feels like a continuation of the calvary chapel tradition of Christ-centric, Scripture-driven praise, sung in determinate and passionate terms.

in my opinion (which was definitely not made up before i heard it), this album is a triumph of personal, intimate and bold worship. even if the style isn’t your ultimate preference, i still think you should pick up a copy and allow it to present Christ to you.

for those of you who have a listen, come on back and let me know what you think.

maranatha!

3 Comments

check it out, listen in, ministry, music, plug | October 28th, 2008