Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Music Review


Mark Bishop and Forget The Sea, Mark Bishop and Forget The Sea
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Mark Bishop and Forget The Sea
Mark Bishop and Forget The Sea



Artist Info: Discography
Genre(s): Folk / Acoustic / Worship
Album length: 11 tracks: 43 minutes, 35 seconds
Street Date: January 8, 2016


READER RATING:   


With three decades of experience in the Christian music industry, Mark Bishop, who made a name for himself as a southern gospel singer in The Bishops and as a solo artist, is now teaming up with his two daughters, son-in-law, and friends to form the band Mark Bishop & Forget The Sea. Instead of pursuing Bishop's southern gospel fan base or even striving for CCM radio play (something they would be capable of doing) the band is taking a folk-worship direction with their self-titled debut album.

Forget The Sea's brand of folk music is both fun and beautiful, but the centerpiece of the band's sound is undoubtedly Mark Bishop's vocals. His strong and arching voice, which always has a southern twang, readily adapts to the varying styles of music the band covers, from the alternative sounds of "You Love Me Anyway" to the folksy tones of "Pick Me Up And Carry Me" to the country style on "Tinderbox."

"Pick Me Up And Carry Me" is a prime example of how fun this music is with a steady handclap drum loop, bright acoustic guitar work, accordion and occasional banjo. This is matched with optimistic lyrics about depending on God's grace for all the times we stumble or go through difficult trials. "Sometimes God Whispers" is another highlight with four narrative verses that speak of God working through creation and in our lives, threaded by a simple but thoughtful changing chorus. "Baptize Me In The Rain" maintains a similarly cheerful vibe, and though it has some nice moments, like the infectious electric guitar lick in the chorus, it doesn't have as much lyrical substance. Other upbeat tracks, like "You Love Me Anyway" and "Everything I Give," are not particularly exciting, but still enjoyable enough to prevent you from reaching for the skip button.

When the band slows things down, the result is a similar mixture of solid and decent songs. "Take To The Sky" has a soft acoustic sound as Mark Bishop and his daughters sing about stepping out in faith, but with the lyrics "time to take to the sky" being repeated almost 30 times, it is simply too redundant. In fact, it is over-repetitiveness that is this album's biggest setback. Artists like Hillsong and All Sons And Daughters use plenty of repetition for making songs more singable, but for several songs on this album it feels overdone. The gently uplifting tune "I Will Sing," which is led by Mark Bishop's daughter, is a notable exception. With a chorus that declares "I will sing, I will sing / I'll sing 'till my tears wash away, wash away / my doubt and my fears," the repetition here is more meaningful as she communicates a tangible sense of trust and honesty.

If you are looking for something a bit different from the standard pop-worship album, Mark Bishop And The Sea is definitely worth checking out. It's not a perfect debut, but it is a promising one.

- Review date: 1/2/16, written by Christopher Smith of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

 

. Record Label: Sonlite
. Album length: 11 tracks: 43 minutes, 35 seconds
. Street Date: January 8, 2016
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)

  1. You Love Me Anyway (3:34)
  2. Baptize Me in the Rain (3:06)
  3. Take to the Sky (3:59)
  4. The Son Is Shining (5:14)
  5. I Will Sing (3:37)
  6. Pick Me Up and Carry Me (3:24)
  7. You Are, You Are (4:33)
  8. Tinderbox (5:05)
  9. Sometimes God Whispers (4:00)
  10. Everything I Give (3:52)
  11. Ordinary Average Autumn (3:10)
spacer     Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics

 

 

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

Search JFH



This Friday, May 16, 2025
ALBUMS
Confessions of a Traitor This Pain Will Serve You [Facedown]
Free Worship Praise Before It Happens [BEC]
GVTH DVDDY GVTH DVDDY [Velvet Blue]
Karen Peck & New River Good Answers [Daywind]
Lecrae & Miles Minnick Get Well Soon! [Reach]
Seventh Day Slumber Fractured Paradise: Garden of Shadows [Rockfest]
Sons of Sunday Sons of Sunday [Elevation]

SINGLES
AyeTJ Outdated - Single [Syntax]
Elan Brio Perfect Timing - Single (independent)
Melissa D Will I Be Bored in Heaven? - Single (independent)
Will Kellum Ready or Not - Single [Syntax]
Britt Nicole FAITH - Single (independent)
Makara Walk By Faith - Single [DREAM/DBMIX]
MAYIA Where Do I Go? (ft. Cutright) - Single [Syntax]
Matt Sassano My Armor - Single (independent)
Seph Schlueter Won't Start Now - Single [Provident]

VINYL
Petra The Best For Last (Studio Edition) Vinyl [Girder]

Next Tuesday, May 20, 2025
BOOKS
Shai Linne Penelope Judd [B&H]
Tauren Wells Joy Bomb: Unleash Jesus’s Explosive Joy for an Extraordinary Life [Zondervan]

Next Friday, May 23, 2025
ALBUMS
Big Daddy Weave Let It Begin [Curb]
ELEVATION RHYTHM Victory Lap [Elevation]
Signum Regis The Eyes of Power (Remixed & Remastered 2025) [Beyond the Storm]

SINGLES
Roxanne Grace Road Trip - Single [DREAM]
V1 Worship Fool for You - Single [DREAM Worship]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Get all of JFH's indie compilation now totally free!
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images