Passion, "Everything Glorious" Review

JFH Staff Review

Passion: Everything Glorious
(Various Artists)

Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 13 tracks: 72 minutes, 5 seconds
Street Date: April 4, 2006

Attracting sell-out crowds in Nashville, Tenn., Passion '06 was one of the most successful Passion conferences to date. Passion: Everything Glorious is 13 tracks of music that gives listeners a glimpse into the conference, and it reunites Passion artists David Crowder Band, Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman and Kristian Stanfill.

The album opens with "Awesome is the Lord." The song is a typical worship song, but serves as a decent start to the album. "Glorious" draws on the theme of the album and fares better than "Awesome is the Lord," while the album's third song, "Party," is where things go wrong. The lyrics are cheesy and reminiscent of a bad Jr. High camp song. The album is rescued, however, by "Jesus Paid it All," a touching rendition of the old hymn that showcases Passion's ability to bridge modern and traditional worship. "All We Need" and "Center" are enjoyable and lend themselves well to congregational singing. "We Are Yours" is a simple song that expresses one's longing to belong to God. "You Never Let Go" has beautiful lyrics and reminds listeners that God is always with them. It picks up the album and will have listeners singing along after only a few plays. "How Marvelous (I Stand Amazed)" is yet another excellent version of a hymn many believers grew up singing. The voices of thousands of young adults singing along enhances the song and makes it one of the best on the album. "Everything Glorious," the album's title track, is a heartfelt and worshipful highlight. David Crowder's "You are My Joy" is a great track, upbeat and musically interesting as it captures the intensity of the Passion conference. It only becomes problematic at the end when Crowder awkwardly adds, 'I'm laughing so hard.' Crowder's "We Win" is an anthem cry that makes it hard for listeners to sit still. One can hear the excitement in the crowd's voices as they sing, "We have already won."

Passion: Everything Glorious finishes much stronger than it starts. This is illustrated by "Our God Reigns," a quiet and lovely track that closes the album. When I first listened to Passion: Everything Glorious, I did not like it as much as previous Passion albums. However, it soon began to grow on me. The album is not perfect as evidenced by the unfortunate "Party," but it has much to offer. Fans of the Passion movement will not be disappointed, and those new to the movement will find much to like about Passion: Everything Glorious.

- Review date: 3/29/06, written by Laura Nunnery