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Eric Kneifel is a worship leader from Portland, Oregon with nearly 20 years of experience. His debut worship album, No Shadows, is his first release (outside of 2015's Acoustic EP) and was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign. The twelve songs found on No Shadows were whittled down from a whopping fifty-plus songs originally in consideration. Thankfully, Eric didn't get overzealous and release a massive collection of songs much too large for a new listener to digest. The theme of the album lies within the hope that Jesus's light would fill up our lives so much so that "no shadows" remain. Kneifel joins a slew of other indie worship artists looking to spread the word of Jesus and offer songs of adoration and devotion. Eric fits more in line with artists like Shane & Shane, Jeremy Riddle, or Paul Baloche stylistically. On the positive side of the album are songs like "Stir in My Heart," "The Only Way," "No Shadows," and "The Bride." While the title track is a stimulating listen from a musical standpoint, "The Bride" is probably the best overall song when taking into account both music and lyrics. Musically, you get a folksy sounding shanty of sorts and lyrically, you get the most creative song on the album. A couple of the weaker tracks, like "You Are Worthy," suffer more from a production standpoint with much of the instrumentation, aside from the guitar, sounding a little too computer generated. Given the budget that Kneifel had for production, however, the album sounds quite nice. The female backing and lead vocals found throughout the album are phenomenal and a great highlight. What's also quite respectable about Eric Kneifel is that he is a true worship leader and understands the struggles many of us face. This is evident because Eric has made not only chord sheets available, but also split click/backing tracks and presenter slides available for most songs as well; these are excellent recourses for a worship leader looking to add some songs from No Shadows into their church's worship service. Fans of worship music should give Eric Kneifel at least one listen. They are very likely to find some music they like here.
- Review date: 10/25/16, written by Michael Weaver of Jesusfreakhideout.com
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