Purple Door Radio: August 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009

CD Review: The Glorious Unseen "The Hope That Lies In You"

I fell in love with The Glorious Unseen after they released their debut album, Tonight The Stars Speak. To me it was a fresh new way of worshipping. It was a mellow version of worship that sometimes I needed. I wasn't always in the mood for "raw raw yeah Jesus" worship. Sometimes you need something a little less amped. And TGU's album did that for me. I got to sit down and chat with the guys at last year's Purple Door Festival. It was encouraging to hear lead singer, Ben Crist's thoughts on worship, TGU and what they were going after.

Needless to say, I was more than excited to hear new music from them. The EP's they released over the past couple months were great... but a full length was much appreciated.

Their new album, The Hope That Lies In You is very much in the same vein as their last album. There wasn't any crazy change in the style or sound of the music, but Ben does not change the honest, raw lyrics that captivated me from the start. Thanks Ben.

I feel like the only way to listen to The Glorious Unseen's albums are in their entirety. I have to listen from start to finish. It's not a song by song album. To me it's a collection that by the end has stirred my spirit into worship.

The Hope That Lies In You has some standout tracks to me. The guys do a notable job on covering John Mark McMillan's "How He Loves." Their cover transfers that raw passion that John Mark sings with. It's the best I've heard at accomplishing that so far, at least in my opinion. Other songs that immediately grabbed my attention were "Awakening" - the hallelujah chorus is wonderful at the end, "Sustain," a song that asks the tough questions like, "why do You let evil have it's way, how can You let orphans die in vain, when will You give answers for the pain, is there a place where hope can still sustain?," the title track "The Hope That Lies In You," and the closing track "Sweet, Sweet Sound."

All in all a great addition to anybody's worship collection. If you aren't really into the whole worship category of music, I highly suggest that you check out The Glorious Unseen. This isn't your typical worship. If you don't believe me, check out this video below of some very well known artists sharing their thoughts about The Glorious Unseen's music.