Jonathan & Jamie Fitt are a pair of brothers hailing from Philadelphia, where they serve in worship ministries. They also record music together, with a 2017 album already under their belt. Now, they're back with a new record featuring their unique worship sound. Sacred Clay is 12 tracks of rock 'n' roll worship with heavy '80s influences. With lyrics heavily influenced by biblical prophecy, this album sounds like a Pentacostal dance party at times, with some slower contemplative beats thrown in for good measure.
The music is one of the things that stands out to the listener immediately. If someone handed you this album and told you it was a worship record, the sound you'd apply to it in your head is not the sound that will come out of the speakers. Instead, opener "Inside Out" feels more like '90s newsboys than modern Phil Wickham. "Ezekiel 1," the following track, is a very danceable tune that you will never hear from Chris Tomlin. Later, "Great I Am" feels like a forgotten '80s ballad from Michael W. Smith or some other CCM artist of that era. While that may limit how much these songs translate into church usage, it does make for a more interesting listener experience. If there is a complaint about the music, it's that the choruses tend to get repetitive, with most songs only using a phrase that gets repeated over and over again. For instance, "Ezekiel 1's" chorus is simply, "His brightness was all around/all around." Sometimes the music is strong enough that it doesn't stand out, but, given the length of these tunes, you start to notice it after a while.
If the music limits the reach of these songs, the lyrics don't do much to bridge the gap either. As mentioned before, there is a heavy emphasis on prophecy and usage of language that will feel familiar to those who have been in more charismatic circles. That's not necessarily a knock against the album, as anyone from a charismatic background will feel right at home. There are moments, though, where it feels like certain biblical instances are applied to the modern day in a way that doesn't feel quite right (such as on "Spirit of Revelation" and "Valley of Elah"). Overall, though, these songs focus more generally on God's power and willingness to save us. "Inside Out," "Father of Eternity," and "Over My Head" are all good songs that encourage the listener with this truth. The worthy closer, "Worship and Waiting," is the track that has the most crossover appeal for churches to incorporate, as it gives an "already but not yet" message to keep holding on until God's kingdom comes.
For some listeners, their theological or denominational background might affect how much enjoyment they derive from Jonathan and Jamie Fitt's Sacred Clay. Those things aside, this is a competent album that makes for a fun listen while covering ground that most Christian artists stay away from (both lyrically and musically). Regardless of your views, Sacred Clay is a little diamond in the rough that's worth a listen.
- Review date: 4/9/26, written by John Underdown of Jesusfreakhideout.com
Record Label: None
Jamie Fitt: We are the sons of two music teachers, so growing up, we were exposed to all kinds of music. As kids, we grew to love 80's music (an influence you will certainly hear), but also spent a decade of our formative years singing a cappella barbershop quartet music. That was amazing ear and vocal training and introduced us to unique harmonies. For the past 30 years, though, we have given ourselves to worship. Over that time, we've seen worship music become a genre, with a lot of music that sounds very similar. Our heart is to allow our influences, and who we are as musicians and songwriters, to shine through, even if it means something that is a bit genre bending.
Jamie: We started singing together before we ever played instruments, but when we were about 14 and 17, we formed a worship team. It was the first time either of us had seriously picked up an instrument, even though we were part of a very musical family. Most of our musical expression at that time was singing, and specifically singing a cappella music, so no instruments!
Jamie: For this album, we were inspired by a song off of our last album (Bloodlines) that used drum loops instead of live drums. While trying to record "Blood of the Lamb," a song that we had played live tons of times, everything was falling flat. Looking for answers in the studio, we switched out the live drums with a loop and it was instant inspiration for us - one of my favorite tracks on the album. So all the drums on this album are programmed, though some sound like loops and some have the characteristics of live drums. Of course, there is some 80's synth pop influence, and even some TobyMac-ish pop/funk/soul inspiration at work (my kids are/were really into his stuff, and I'm not mad about it).
Jamie: This has been a long time coming. We have been working on this, in fits and starts, for 7 years. There are a million reasons why it took that long, but the biggest one is the priority of family (we have 8 kids between us, and they have developed robust social lives!), and the ministries that we help lead. For better or worse, the creative process of writing and recording often takes a backseat to more pressing matters. However, our determination to keep going even when we knew we were years from the finish line based on the time we could commit to it, has paid off. I'm very proud of what we've created and the season of life that it encompasses.
Jamie: Bloodlines, our last album, was an album that explored Passover themes both in the Old Testament and the New (Jesus comes as the Passover Lamb). Sacred Clay is themed around the day of Pentecost, again with Old Testament and New Testament perspectives. Even the name, Sacred Clay, speaks to the reality that God has taken residence in us in the Person of His Spirit, but we have this treasure in clay vessels. The idea of God changing us by His Spirit from the inside out, or the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Revelation, or God as our Father through the Spirit of Adoption, are all different meditations on the Holy Spirit's ministry in us and to us. Certainly, there is a prophetic aspect to all of that.
Jamie: The Old Testament is the foundation on which the New Testament stands. Jesus reforms some aspects of the Old Testament, but there are also many themes that are repeated throughout the OT that find their crescendo in Jesus. To be ignorant of those things is to miss the depth and beauty of God's storytelling. One example of that is the "Ezekiel 1" song. Why a song about Ezekiel 1 on an album themed around Pentecost? Well, at least a hundred years before Jesus time, the Jewish people started reading God's word in scheduled segments - the same segments at each time of the year. On the day of Pentecost, Ezekiel 1 is part of that reading - probably because of its fire imagery that connects it to Mt. Sinai and the fire that descended there at the very first Pentecost in Exodus 19. Imagine this, though: the disciples, being observant Jews, would have been in the Upper Room meditating on Ezekiel 1 (a throne of fire, with a Man of fire on it) when suddenly, tongues of fire break into the room and the same fiery throne presence of God, from Ezekiel 1, rests upon each of them! What poetry and beauty there is in the Scriptures when we connect Old and New.
Jamie: For me, I can look back at the work of the Spirit in my life and see how God has not only saved me, but sanctified me. The Holy Spirit is involved in our accepting Jesus, but then He also champions the ongoing work of transformation in our lives. Our work on this album goes back through the COVID years, and raising a young family in that time was quite an experience -- and one that I wouldn't have wanted to do without the Holy Spirit. The days we are living in require genuine sensitivity to His still small voice, and at times, I succeeded in that and at times, I fail. Of course, God is merciful, but there may be a day where hearing His voice could be a matter of life and death. I want to be ready for that moment should it arrive for me.
Jamie: Passover (Bloodlines) and Pentecost (Sacred Clay) are two of the three major feasts in the Old Testament. We hope to do a final album to complete this trilogy centered on The Feast of Tabernacles, a feast which many believe foreshadows the second coming of Jesus and the age to come. How long that will take us is anyone's guess! Pray for us!
Jamie: At the moment, the best way would be to visit Philadelphia Tabernacle of David via social media or our website: phillytod.org
Jamie: Jonathan - no question. He used to wrestle back in his school days, and likes to mix it up. Jamie is a lover not a fighter!
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Record Label: None
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