Unusual Package, Undeniable Joy

I was excited when this CD came in the mail. My sweet husband, who loves listening to all kinds of music, volunteered to review this for all of us. Here's what he had to say!

“For Your Kingdom” is a collection of twelve songs plus a short and possibly unneeded introduction. There is musical variety and superior vocal talent. The lyrics emphasize praising of God, emphasizing His majesty and often mentioning the worshiper's feeling of being overwhelmed with peace and joy, but they go beyond this point, and unlike much contemporary music, they speak of a resolve to worship and serve God.

The musical quality is excellent, whether the songs are calm or energetic, and some songs build from quiet reflection to bold celebration [“We Cry Holy”]. One-third of the songs have a style that, to my aging ears, can be described as “electro-techno-dance club pop”. Whatever it is, I don't care for it . . . but the professional performance is still evident. The only shortcoming I heard is that sometimes the vocal control of the female lead singer is so precisely delivered that it loses personality.

While the production values of the content are high, the packaging is strange. It's hard to tell if Higher Vision is the name of a production company, a church, or a musical group. The songs credits are given, but neither the male lead singer nor the female lead singer are identified. It looks like an “in-house” album, where everyone involved in presenting the result and most of the people who will hear it are already in the know. This is probably the case; the executive producer is the pastor of Higher Vision Church in California, and co-wrote several of the songs. It is easy to be caught up in the reverence, joy and desire to serve God evidenced in this album, but just adding a few names crediting the singers and musicians would have improved the personal connection and increased the impact.

“For Your Kingdom” is overall a very good album. After I listened to it twice for review purposes, I brought it out again three days later and enjoyed it again . . . yes, even the “electro-techno” songs. [A little, anyway]

For more information, check them out here: www.highervisionworship.com

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.