Matt Redman: "The Father's Song"

Title: The Father's Song
Category: Praise & Worship
Artist/Group: Mat Redman
Rating: 4 / 5
I'm not a big Matt Redman fan, but I like this CD because the lyrics are not "I" centered but mostly "You [God]" centered. It's the kind of CD that grows on you. The tunes are mellow in general, but are catchy when you memorize the words and sift through each of them.

Did you ever wonder about the verse in Zephaniah 3:17? It says: "The Lord your God is with you, He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

"The Father's Song" captures the essence of this verse. (Hey, I just noticed that he's put scripture verses to corrrepsond with each song!) What a concept - that God is singing over us! There is a different song than the ones we sing, or the thousands that we have heard so many times - and it is very personal. Have you ever heard the Father's song moving in your heart and singing over you personally? Redman seems to be big on worship rather than the songs themselves (i.e. Heart of Worship, Holy Moment (with Sonic Flood)). It is the silent heart of worship that wells up in our souls above any other song that could express how worthy our God is.

"You Must Increase", is one of those spontaneous (I think) songs, and the words are very simple: "I lift you high and bow down low/How high can You be? How low can I go? (2x)/You must increase I must decrease Lord/I'll bow down and You will be adored." The simplicity of the words helped me to worship as if singing directly to God. Although God is high and exalted already, it helped me to simply exalt Him in my own heart as I go lower.

Finally, the one song on the mellow CD that sounds like a burst of joy is "Thank You for the Blood." I picture this song to be something of the joy of God's people for the Lamb of God--of what He has done for us. The best line is "You have opened the way to the Father, where before we could never have come."

Overall, the CD give a sense of awe and mystery of the love of God the Father (more than Sovereign God or Provider God for example). In general, the songs have a medium tempo and have somewhat of a somber tone. The improv. and voice of the lady that sings in the background adds a nice feminine and full sound to the songs. If you've already looked at the "good" songs on this CD, try sifting through some of the other songs again...you might say that it's pretty good.

Eugenia
Kim
2.4.01

Take The World But Give Me Jesus | Light Of The World | King Of This Heart | Justice And Mercy | The Father's Song | Nothing Is Too Much | You Led Me To The Cross | Holy Moment (Featuring Sonic Flood) | O Sacred King | Revelation | Thankyou For The Blood | You Must Increase | Let My Words Be Few | On and On

"Hello Eugenia, I thought your review was quite good. What caught me was your observation of You-centered lyrics as opposed to I-centered ones. I, too, have noticed this trend with many christian songs and sadly, even worship songs. Awesome review...."

In Him
Chan
11.29.01

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