Multi-cultural worship shakes heaven and earth
Shake Heaven
Artist: Victory World Music (www.victoryworldmusic.com)
Label: Independent
Length: 12 tracks/1 hour
On “Shake Heaven,” the title track from Victory World
Music, listeners hear “gonna shake heaven / takin’ back the music.” This
talented group of worship leaders takes back the music by infusing popular
music styles with praise and adoration to God.
In particular, the first four tracks rely heavily on
programming to put the celebration of God into a modern urban context. Club
beats, hip-hop and R&B join together. Although the soulful style is heard
throughout, the electronic urban grooves are most prominent in these early
tracks.
The songs that follow have more organic instrumentation
and rely less on synthesized sounds. The rest of the recording moves closer to
modern worship but the artistry and production save it from the generic forms
that characterize much of the genre. New life gets breathed into tired
expressions through creative variety.
“Hungry” and “Breathe” are new, not the popular worship
anthems from a few years ago. In fact, all of the songs are new, which is the
fruit of a desire to create original material.
Towards the end of this release it gets more acoustic
with less production as the songs transition from praise to worship. “Lifter of
My Head” is a beautiful piano-driven ballad with strings. It includes the
lovely line, “Jesus, save me from all of my sadness / pour on the oil of
gladness.”
“These Hands” is an epic song that creatively expresses
God’s many works. The more praise-oriented “You Are” is a delightful change-up
with its upbeat, joyful outlook.
The smooth-voiced singing, a variety of music styles and
stellar production make this unique. The urban, R&B influence has a broad
multi-cultural appeal, which is part of what Victory World Church is all about.
They seek to be a place where all nations and cultures worship together.
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