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JFH Indie Review

JFH Indie Music Spotlight Review

Sam Ock & John Rhee

Sam Ock & John Rhee
Laus Deo

Street Date: October 6, 2014
Style: Hymns


Sam Ock and John Rhee are a duo of Korean musicians who are out to praise the Lord. Ock has been gaining some notoriety over the last couple of years. Ock is a worship leader, has been releasing solo material, is involved with the hip-hop group AMP (who released a crazy good EP last year), and has even shown up on some guest spots. Ock now pairs with the younger John Rhee, with some help from Yuris Yoon, to provide their take on some classic hymns. The album, entitled Laus Deo, is Latin for "Praise be to God." While Ock is known to rap, and do a solid job at it, you won't hear any hip-hop in this collection.

Laus Deo starts out rather bodly with a cappella vocals on "Come Thou Fount." As the song continues to build, so does the instrumentation. No instruments turn to a lightly picked acoustic, which builds to a lightly picked electric on top. The vocals also build as well and feature some great sounding harmonies between all three voices, Yoon included. Yoon's voice really helps to set the song off as her voice isn't overpowering, but instead fills the gaps nicely. The beautiful and soft instrumentation found in the opening track, as well as the spot-on harmonies, continues throughout the entire project. Most of the songs included are extremely popular hymns that are still sung in traditional worship services all over America. While "All Creatures of Our God and King" isn't as widely known as something like "Nothing But the Blood," the version provided by Ock and Rhee really stands out amongst the more known hymns. Aside from "Faithful God," a mid-tempo number, all of the renditions are slower in tempo. However, the more dynamic and powerful "It is Well With My Soul" likely has the most energy and serves as a great closer.

The vocals and harmonies present on Laus Deo are really tight. The music itself is beautiful, and while not overly complex, it's executed nicely. You will be hard-pressed to find a better compilation of re-imagined hymns than Sam Ock and John Rhee have recorded. Being aware of Sam Ock's talent, I was personally expecting a solid record, but Ock and Rhee exceeded any expectations I had. Even though the music is enjoyable, a little is deducted for a lack of overall diversity. If you are fan of hymns, or are just looking for some soothing music to put on and reflect to, Laus Deo would be an excellent choice. Soft piano and acoustic guitar, wonderful vocals, and even better harmonies make Sam Ock and John Rhee's joint effort a fabulous listen.

- Review date: 12/18/14, written by Michael Weaver of Jesusfreakhideout.com



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JFH Indie Spotlight Review . Record Label: Good Fruit Company
. Album length: 9 tracks: 45 minutes, 18 seconds
. Street Date: October 6, 2014
. Buy It: iTunes
. Download It: AmazonMP3

  1. Come Thou Fount (feat. Yuris Yoon) (4:25)
  2. Nothing But the Blood (feat. Yuris Yoon) (5:25)
  3. All the Way My Savior Leads Me (4:18)
  4. Holy Holy Holy (feat. Yuris Yoon) (4:31)
  5. All Creatures of Our God and King (5:05)
  6. Be Thou My Vision (5:46)
  7. Faithful God (3:52)
  8. The Love of God (6:04)
  9. It is Well With My Soul (5:52)

 

 

 

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This Friday, June 27, 2025
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The Browns 25th Anniversary: Better Days Ahead [StowTown]
Franni Cash Wild Child - EP [Capitol CMG]
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Jimmy Fortune Songs of an American Dreamer [Gaither]
Roxanne Grace Road Trip - EP [DREAM]
JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise The Live Reunion: Washington, DC [James Town]
Kutless The Seventh Seal - EP [BEC]
Evvie McKinney It Ain't Over - EP (independent)
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SEU Worship A Forgiving God [Provident]
The Shimmering Carnelians The Doorway (Version 2.0) (independent)
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SINGLES
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Colony House Atomic - Single [Roon]
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Drea LP & OnBeatMusic Don't Try Me (DTM) - Single [Syntax]
ELI GABLE Glory Bound - Single [Capitol CMG]
Joseph Habedank Running to Me - Single [Daywind]
Lonnie Hunter Flow (Like A River) - Single [Uncle G]
Kashh Kade HELP - Single [Syntax]
KB x KEANU Keanu's Song - Single [Provident]
Tasha Layton Singing In the Dark - Single [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard The Hand That Keeps Holding - Single [Motown Gospel]
Claire Leslie Thank God I'm Not Alone (from Claire's Phone) - Single [Capitol CMG]
Tim Lovelace Celebration of America Medley (feat. Charlie McCoy) - Single [StowTown]
Lecrae Tell No Lie (feat. Jackie Hill Perry) - Single [Reach]
LO Worship The Perfect Love of Jesus - Single [Integrity]
Patrick Mayberry Thank The Lord - Single [Provident]
Michael Monroe John The Baptist (feat. Chris Renzema) - Single [Provident]
Alexander Pappas A Great Awakening / Un Nuevo Despertar - Single [Integrity]
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Rave Jesus Walk On The Water Remix (From The Chosen) - Single [Provident]
The Rocky Valentines Nat Song - Single [Velvet Blue]
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DVD
Jimmy Fortune Songs Of An American Dreamer DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, July 4, 2025
ALBUMS
Chad Cory America [DREAM]
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SINGLES
Christian Back Now - Single [DREAM]



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