Revive Worship “Made Alive” Album Review

Prime Cuts:  Holy Embrace, Made Alive, Restore Us

Some songs really make you hungry.  Fumed with an aroma of an exquisite buffet of God's richest truths, "Made Alive" leaves one hungrier for God even after just one listen.  Inspired by a sermon series based on Paul's letter to the Ephesians at church, the worship team of First Baptist Church of Loganville, Ga, could not get enough of the bounty of God's spiritual word, so they decided to put some of the truths they have had learnt into music. Thus, these 10 songs that make up Revive Worship's debut album are actually God's delicious cuisine fashioned into God-besotted songs crafted for congregations to sing.  "Made Alive," is the team's debut album and it's released through DREAM Worship, which is also home to veterans such as Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, Darrell Evans & Soulfire Revolution.

Sonically, "Made to Worship" doesn't indulge in any drastic overhaul.  Rather, adopting the stadium-filling rock template a la Hillsong Worship, Planetshakers & Chris Tomlin, here you will hear revved up guitars and jammed up synth riffs.  Yet, what sets Revive Worship is the undergirding passion and energy that they have invested in each song.  Take a listen for instance to the high-energy power ballad "Holy Embrace."  The team captures the explosive emotions of what it means to be embraced by the Father in ways that are so tangible that you can almost feel the Father's footsteps running with his arms wide open waiting to embrace us.  Loosely based on Psalm 51, "Restore Us" continues on the same vivid and emotive trajectory with a minimalistic approach as the song glides along softer acoustic guitar brushes. 

The title cut "Made Alive" has all the elements of what a great worship song calls for.  Starting with the soft chimes of keys, the song progressively builds to its hook-laden crescendo with words that echo the sentiments of Paul in Ephesians.  "One," on the other hand, is a full-blown rock fiasco which does go overboard in its backing that somehow drowns out the vocals and the enunciation of the song's words.  Much better is "The Cost."  With an ultra-cool Coldplay stoic vibe, "The Cost" speaks of how Christ's death paid the price of our sins.  While "Beautiful" has a touch of EDM with its spacey synth swirls; this song ought to appeal to those who love Hillsong Young and Free or Inspire Music.

Yet, Revive Worship has not left traditionalists unattended.  The album in fact starts off with the chimes of the organ accompanying the team in singing "All I Am." "All I Am" is a hybrid song that incorporates the hymn "I Surrender All" into its newly written melody.  While "Be Thou My Vision" gets almost an "unplugged" treatment shimming with an understated passion.  "Made Alive" may not re-invent the wheel as far as worship music is concerned.  But these songs are definitely performed with so much passion and diversity that you can't help but be transported into God's banqueting presence.

 

 

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