It’s unusual for me to keep a CD in my car or iPod playlist for an extended period of time. But that’s what happened with this one from Sojourn Music entitled The Water and the Blood
Sojourn Music springs forth from Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY, and they’ve already produced 7 albums. Their last recording was entitled “Over the Grave” which consists, as does this new CD, of reworked songs initially written by Isaac Watts, a prolific hymn writer from a previous century.
Now, be aware this isn’t the big-event live concert album filled with upbeat congregational anthems, nor is it the pop-oriented music prevalent on most popular Christian radio stations. These are sobering songs that remind us of our mortality and sinfulness, contrasting and enhancing our awareness of the greatness and goodness of God.
The band describes the songs they selected for this project as “snapshots of the gospel” that can “profoundly help us to see Jesus as more beautiful and more believable.” They write further:
As musicians, pastors and songwriters, it was an honor to explore the hundreds of hymns that Watts wrote during his lifetime, to learn from the incredible range and depth of his lyrics, and to re-envision those songs with modern language and melodies.
In particular, we gravitated towards themes that seem unfortunately absent in modern worship — themes about God’s wrath and judgment, His righteousness, and a dramatic vision of the cross and atonement of Christ.
It’s difficult to categorize or label the unique sound of these tunes. Listening to the CD brought to mind a variety of bands ranging from old Caedmon’s Call to current Need to Breathe. At times I thought of Johnny Cash’s God’s Going to Cut You Down and the Coen Brothers soundtrack to True Grit. Being a collection of lamentations, some would consider it dark and perhaps depressing; but we’re told in the Bible to worship God when we’re happy as well as when we’re not, and peppy happy songs can sometimes be hard to sing during periods of discouragement and suffering.
With an eclectic mix of styles including Americana, country, alternative, indie, folk, appalachian, rock and blues, no single song on this album sounds the same. Instrumentation varies, as does tone, flavor, vocals and tempo. Favorite songs will vary based on one’s mood, spirit and musical tastes. Personally, I am still finding the tune to “Let the Seventh Angel Sound” bouncing around in my head, and “Absent from Flesh” is undoubtedly one of the best songs I’ve heard all year–anywhere. But if you like any of the aforementioned musical genres, you’ll probably like some of the cuts on this record. And since each song is a remake/rearrangement of an Isaac Watts song, you’ll be encouraged by the words and wisdom from a generation well acquainted with trials and tribulations.
Though classified as a worship and praise CD, it’s really perhaps more of a worship and lamentation CD. It’s well done yet not over-produced…most of the songs were recorded on just one take in the studio, yet they don’t feel hurried and still maintain a quality production value. A sizable team of people participated in this project, including producer Paul Mahern who has also worked with Over the Rhine, The Fray, John Mellencamp, and T-Bone Burnett.
The Water and the Blood is gritty, pure, rich, and refreshing; real worship for real Christians whose hearts know both sadness and happiness. It’s a welcome addition and fills a void in the landscape of Christian worship music. I encourage you to take a few moments to watch the video, preview the tunes and consider downloading the entire album.
Disclosure: The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of this recording.
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