A collection of mellow, guitar-driven worship songs that may be especially useful as a background worship tool.
Pros, Cons & Facts
Pros
Worshipful heartfelt lyrics conducive to sincere worship
Cons
A lack of diversity within the CD gives a bit of a generic feel
Facts
- Style: guitar-driven rock worship
- 11 songs, 9 originals
- Released May 2004
The Review
The fact that Todd Proctor is a longtime worship leader and pastors a church of young adults might lead you to expect some cutting edge worship, but such is not the case. Even a cursory listen to the lyrics of his nine original songs reveal a heart that deeply desires the presence and pleasure of his God. There is no doubting the sincerity of his music. But these simple guitar-driven arrangements, while good, bring nothing new to the table. Actually, there's a bit of a retro feel to these tunes, not necessarily a bad thing.
Opening track "Victory" is full of jangly guitars and buzzy reverb, setting a classic rock tone to the project. Second cut "Stir in Me" continues the trend with drummer Frank Lenz pounding out a rhythmic bed that is all '80s. Again, not necessarily negative, just surprising. Ben & Robin Pasley's "I Will Not Forget You" is covered nicely with an exuberance that rings true and lifts your heart forcefully heavenward. The next three tunes are all somewhat subdued in tempo and energy level, and for my money, Proctor is more interesting up-tempo. "Let It Rain" takes you back to shimmering guitar hooks and passionate declarations and sets you up nicely for what I think is the best cut on the CD, the bluesy, soulful "In Pursuit." The great Crystal Lewis is sorely under-used here as a guest artist but even the small part she has heats up the atmosphere. The earthiness of her warm crooning complements Proctor's simple voice perfectly. He is powerfully backed again by another woman, this time anonymous, on "Take Me Home"; it's these pairings that work best on Found.
Closer "Here I Am to Worship" is a final surprise, synthesizer and vocal arrangements with composer Tim Hughes unexpectedly interesting on this tune that has so quickly become a chestnut. A fervent closing that brings this project to a sublime end. While not doing much ground-breaking, this is a CD that should serve the Christian audience well as a tool for times of personal worship.
