Various Artists - Passion: Awakening

Producer: Nathan Nockels
Record Label: Sixsteps/Sparrow/EMI Christian Music Group
Website: http://www.268generation.com

There’s no denying the impact that the Passion movement has had on Christian music and music of the church.  What started out as simply gatherings and music geared towards college kids (over 10 years ago) has now turned in to a phenomenon in the Christian music industry. The music is no longer relegated to college kids - rather soccer moms, music ministers, grandpas, teenagers, and everyone in between have officially supported the Passion movement. And can you blame them? No other music brand (besides Hillsong) has consistently produced music that the church latches on to so quickly. Artists like Chris Tomlin, Christy Nockels, Matt Redman, Charlie Hall, David Crowder Band, and now people like Fee and Kristian Stanfill have all become household names due to their brand of worship music. However, in this critic’s eyes - the music releases from Passion tend to be pretty hit or miss. For every hit (like Eveything Glorious, Passion 98 or How Great Is Our God) there’s a dud (like The Road to One Day, Hymns Ancient & Modern, or God of This City).  So, the real question is this: How does Passion: Awakening stack up to the other releases? The answer? Remarkably well.  Passion: Awakening will probably go down as one of the better releases when it’s all said and done.  The album kicks off with Chris Tomlin’s “Awakening.” The song starts off as a tender ballad but crescendos into a full-on praise anthem.  There are a lot of really strong moments - like Tomlin’s duet with Christy Nockels on the round and repeat of “Where the Spirit of the Lord Is.” Nockels’ own “Healing Is In Your Hands” bests anything found on her debut solo record, while Fee’s “Rise & Sing” is a rousing rock/praise number sure to be a hit at the Passion conferences this year.  David Crowder Band’s cover of “How He Loves” has become a staple song for the band, while the brand-new “Like a Lion” is an album highlight.  Tomlin’s “Our God” is by far the strongest song on the disc - and it could possibly be Tomlin’s next “How Great Is Our God” or “Indescribable.” There’s only one misstep on the disc, and that belongs to the new guy. Kristian Stanfill’s “Say, Say” is an upbeat number, but feels like it came right out of 1998 - giving a really dated feel to the track. Overall, fans of the series will surely love what they find on Passion: Awakening.  It features some of the strongest material to ever come out of the Passion camp. Hopefully, the next one won’t be a dud and the group can continue down this path of musical maturity.

Track listing:

1. Awakening - Chris Tomlin
2. Say, Say - Kristian Stanfill
3. Our God - Chris Tomlin
4. How He Loves - David Crowder Band
5. Healing Is In Your Hands - Christy Nockels
6. King of Heaven - Charlie Hall
7. You Alone Can Rescue - Matt Redman
8. Where the Spirit of the Lord Is - Chris Tomlin & Christy Nockels
9. Rise & Sing - Fee
10. Like a Lion - David Crowder Band
11. Chosen Generation - Chris Tomlin
12. With Everything - Hillsong United