Rend Collective, that peppy Irish band with energy to spare, has always added an infectious level of authenticity to the modern worship scene. In a time when new praise and worship songs may elicit a cynical eye roll from many, Rend Collective has consistently shown themselves to be 100% honest and sincere in their desire to sing new songs long and loud to their Creator. Ironically, a few months ago, the title of their newest batch of tunes, Choose To Worship would have drawn out a ho-hum response by many...

>> Full Review

2020 started off with promise. Not only because of the arbitrary calendar change of a decade, but worship-ish collective The Brilliance graced the beginning with Suite No. 2: World Keeps Spinning - An Antidote to Modern Anxiety, which is a short record with a long title that now feels hauntingly timely. Perhaps the original intention behind its release was bathed in the awareness of a US election year, but for a world presently in the midst of a pandemic, the record's commitment to quieting the soul is a necessary effort. It largely succeeded on that front...

>> Full Review

For more than twenty years now, the Passion worship conference has introduced the Church to some of the most influential songwriters and songs in the modern worship canon. Such familiar names as Chris Tomlin, David Crowder and Matt Redman got their starts with the ministry, and such now-standard Sunday morning songs as "How Great Is Our God," "Blessed Be Your Name" and "How He Loves" first found their way in the modern worship set list almost directly from the albums associated with these yearly worship gatherings. And while many may consider the yearly albums wildly hit or miss, there's no denying the heart, history and track record of Passion's gatherings...

>> Full Review