I have had the privilege of getting to listen to this new album from John Mark McMillan for about the past month and it is absolutely fantastic! If you're at all familiar with his last album, The Medicine (you can check out my review of that album here), then you will not be disappointed at all with this brand new release, Economy. This project keeps the familiar voice and rich, creative lyrics of John Mark. As I said about his last album, you can't help but be drawn into what he is creating. As you hear how John Mark talks about the album you get the sense of how personal it is to him and the realness comes out in the music. He's not making an album just to make an album; it's an album that serves a greater purpose. John Mark says this,"There's a lot of hope and a lot of looking forward on this album. It's more than just thinking you can live, but you can thrive. You can survive and we can do it together. The first time someone hears this album, they could walk away with the feeling that they experienced something real, that they feel the heart of a real person."As a worship leader I love that this album lends itself to corporate worship more that The Medicine. A couple weeks ago I had the chance to attend the San Francisco show of David Crowder Band's 7 Tour and John Mark played some of these new tunes and it felt more like a time of worship than just a show. As you listen to these songs you really feel the hope of a Savior that can overcome anything we find ourselves up against.
Sheet of Night: The CD begins with the familiar John Mark sound. Right away you get the feeling for the album though and the contrast between darkness and the hope we find in the light. "The devil's dealing dirty. The living isn't easy. But like diamonds we shine up against the sheet of night, the jet-black sheet of night. Whoa, we've got a blood, we've got a love that that'll brave the flood."
Murdered Son: It's with this track where I really started to feel the ability to be used in corporate worship. This is a song that shares the hope that we have through the Gospel; the Son of God dying for us so that we can be raised as sons and daughters of God. "Glory to One, God’s murdered son. Who paid for my resurrection. Once from the dust, once from the grave, daughters and sons from the ashes you’ve raised. And hidden our faults even from your own face. And scattered our debt upon the waves. Glory to the one who overcame in death. Glory to the one who paid for my offenses." Download the chart here.
Sins Are Stones: On this track, you will notice the familiar melody from the hymn O Come All Ye Faithful. This is another track that I believe will work well in corporate worship. The familiar melody, even though with different lyrics, will make it easy to catch on to. This is a song, that for those of us that have been changed by Christ, we can truly sing out from our hearts in praise! "By the blood of a son, I have overcome the grave. Recompense is made for the guilty and the shamed. For eternity is gained in the arms of the slain. Oh my soul praise him." Download the chart here.
Special thanks to Integrity Music for providing this complimentary pre-release album to listen to and review. You can download the album here on iTunes or amazon.com.
