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JFH Indie Review

JFH Indie Inspection Review

Forrest Wakeman

Forrest Wakeman
Messes to Miracles

Street Date: May 15, 2017
Style: Worship / Pop
Official Site: Official Website
Buy It: iTunes
Buy It: AmazonMP3


Forrest Wakeman is a talented worship leader and songwriter from Michigan. On top of leading worship, Forrest has a doctorate and master's degree, was on faculty at Cornerstone University, and is a professional pianist playing in numerous Broadway musicals. Wakeman's Messes to Miracles is an album that chronicles his personal voyage telling a story of loss and the grace of God. Wakeman invited in some nice guest vocalists and talented musicians to help him pull this album off. Messes to Miracles shines brightest from a musical composition standpoint. Musically, the album is better and much deeper than the countless other radio ready worship options. Wakeman's personal education and years as an educator are evident when listening to this album. "You are Good" is a great example of composition, and artists like Chris Tomlin could learn a thing are two from Forrest Wakeman in this aspect. Wakeman also does a praiseworthy job of making the album authentic from a lyrical standpoint. While listeners won't necessarily find anything extremely profound lyrically here, they also won't find loads of clichés and standard lines found frequently in other worship music. For example, Wakeman sings, "When my heart is tossed at sea in a storm I cannot fathom and I lose all I hold dear. When the waves have pulled me under and I cry out in despair, God, this is more than I can bear" in "You Are Good." However, the album's weakness shows more in the vocal performances throughout. Wakeman has a pitch-perfect voice, but the vocals often come out seeming more for a flawless and polished sound over a genuine feeling of passion -- this is an area an artist like Tomlin usually excels in. That's certainly not to discount the intentions of this project, or the worship leader himself, but more of an observation of the actual recording. This is most evident during the pseudo-rap section found in "Be Still."

Overall, Forrest Wakeman has put together a very nice worship project with Messes to Miracles. "Alive in Us," "Psalms 113," and "You Are Good" are the shining examples of Wakeman's best. The guitars complement the piano nicely throughout the album and, as stated above, the compositions are really solid. While Messes to Miracles is far from groundbreaking, it is still worthy of a listen or two at a minimum. You will likely find yourself noticing the subtleties that make this a better musical listen than most in the genre and you just may find yourself charmed by his voice. As with most, this album won't be for everyone, but for those looking for a solid Biblical message with a slightly differently worship experience, Forrest Wakeman's new album just may fit the bill.

- Review date: 5/23/17, written by Michael Weaver of Jesusfreakhideout.com



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JFH Staff's Second Opinion

    A longtime musician with an impressive set of credentials, Forrest Wakeman is now releasing his first album comprised of entirely original worship songs. Messes To Miracles is a worship album akin to many others in the genre, though the music and melodies hearken back to a style of corporate worship that would have been very popular in the '90s and early '00s. "The Lion is the Lamb" is a great example, with a cheery pop rock sound, while "Where My Faith Is Found" sounds like something Hillsong would have written some time ago. The dated sound isn't necessarily a criticism - it's more of a way of giving one a picture of what to expect going into the album - but the generic nature of the music and lyrics is hard to ignore. And, unfortunately, though there are six vocalists to be heard across the eleven songs, they don't really add much to the project. Fans of AC radio and corporate worship are most likely to listen to Messes To Miracles and be blessed by it. - Review date: 5/29/17, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com

 


 

 

 

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This Friday, June 27, 2025
ALBUMS
7eventh Time Down We Praise You [BEC]
The Browns 25th Anniversary: Better Days Ahead [StowTown]
Franni Cash Wild Child - EP [Capitol CMG]
Matt Crocker interlude [Anotherland]
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)
Rusty Shipp Capsized Empire (independent)
SEU Worship A Forgiving God [Provident]
The Shimmering Carnelians The Doorway (Version 2.0) (independent)
We Are Messengers A Thousand Times - EP [Curb]

SINGLES
Anchor & Braille Rattlesnake - Single [Equal Vision]
ANTHNY imposter syndrome - Single [Provident]
Blanca Right On Time - Single [Curb]
Landry Cantrell & Elenee sunshine & rainbows - Single [DREAM]
Eddie Clark Never Content - Single [Syntax]
Colony House Atomic - Single [Roon]
Megan Danielle Preachin' To The Choir - Single [Provident]
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]
PEABOD Summer in Seattle - Single [RMG Amplify]
Rave Jesus Walk On The Water Remix (From The Chosen) - Single [Provident]
The Rocky Valentines Nat Song - Single [Velvet Blue]
Tommy Royale, gio. Like Dat - Single [Capitol CMG]
Saints In Exile & Cutright My Dead End (ft. Jeannie Ortega, Luc DiMarzio, Jericko) - Single [Syntax]
Emilie Weiss Take Care (Studio Sessions) - Single [BEC]

DVD
Jimmy Fortune Songs Of An American Dreamer DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, July 4, 2025
ALBUMS
Chad Cory America [DREAM]
Tenielle Neda The Way Of Love [Wings]

SINGLES
Christian Back Now - Single [DREAM]



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