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In the early 90's, Delirious? revolutionized corporate worship when they broke onto the modern worship
scene with Cutting Edge. Over the last decade and a half, they have inspired countless musicians and worship leaders
to attempt to follow in their footsteps. Yet they have succeeded here many have failed by keeping their art original and
creative. Their storied career has brought us eight studio albums as well as an array of live worship records all of which
have led us, for now, to My Soul Sings.
Recorded in Bogota last year in front of 12,000 Columbians, My Soul Sings gives us an audio and visual taste of how
far Delirious' appeal stretches. While in their last year of musical ministry, this may be the last project they release (no known
future releases are planned at this time).
My Soul Sings is by far not a referendum on their entire repertoire but more of an extension of their
Kingdom of Comfort tour.
The DVD is engrossing to see Delirious? connect with their audience. The lighting is spectacular, however, the video
editing is somewhat choppy and slightly cheesy on “Rain Down,” the first song on the record; and “Stare the Monster Down” which
was edited to look almost like a comic book. Most of the shots are more distant, giving the viewer a sense of being part of
the show's audience itself, but reels you in for some more intimate tracks like “Majesty (Here I Am)” (which is also sung in
Spanish at times).
Altogether, the DVD flows fairly well, with some small backstage footage of the children's choir that sings on “All God's
Children” and an encore break between “Paint the Town Red” and “Kingdom of Comfort.” Martin connects well with his audience,
especially on “History Maker,” by draping himself in the Columbian flag and giving a spine tingling message. In “Kingdom
of Comfort,” Martin reappears wearing a crown girded with iPod's and cell phones reminiscent of a Bono performance off of older
live footage. "Paint the Town Red," an odd track on the DVD, is shot to look like a static CCTV shot of the band, from what
appears to be a different show entirely.
The camera angles are pretty standard with close-up shots of instruments and audience shots. The extra feature to turn on
the lyrics is neat, while there's a bonus separate video clip of “Te Canta Mi Alma (My Soul Sings).” The audio features are
extensive as well to add more depth to the experience.
The CD itself isn't identical to the DVD tracks, having added "God's Romance" and "Hallelujah" towards the beginning
of the record, and taking out “How Sweet the Name,” - to my dismay - and “Paint the Town Red.” It's still a hefty 14 tracks
long, however. The audio is well balanced and is interesting to listen to first and then watch the DVD to set your expectations
of what you hear and compare it to what you see.
Overall, My Soul Sings is an intriguing, engrossing experience. My biggest complaint is with Delirious? calling
it quits this year, I wanted to see and hear more from their extensive catalog of music. “Bliss” was a nice surprise, but I
would have liked to see them dig deeper than the eight songs they played off of Kingdom of Comfort. If this is their
last release and their last remembrance of a live show spanning the entire career of Delirious?, I would be somewhat
disappointed. Hopefully the guys will not end their career with this enjoyable, yet incomplete, project.
- Review date: 3/14/09, written by Kevin Chamberlin
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