I’m not against artistry in praise and worship. I’m not at all against worship collectives, where multiple artists collaborate on writing songs. Bethel Music does this brilliantly, and their worship carries that supernatural grace from heaven. Matt Redman penned it best. It all comes back to the heart of worship.
The river of revival was flowing throughout the church and as a result, we were graced with the music of Darrell Evans, Lindell Cooley, Matt Redman, Passion and so many others. When I hear The River is Rising, I specifically think of how back in 1996, a worship album was released from a (then) unknown music team in Sydney, Australia.
That collection of songs still carries an anointing and authority even to this day. The album was Shout to the Lord. The worship team was Hillsong. The worship leader was Darlene Zschech. Today, I see a new breed of worship leaders and songwriters arising who carry that same mantle—boldly and extravagantly leading the masses to make Jesus the focus of worship. Not the music. Not the lights. Not the excitement. Not the production. The Person of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Catherine Mullins, worship leader at The Ramp, carries this anointing and it saturates every single song on the recording. Truth be told, I struggled to make it through every song because there were worship moments that were so powerful, so presence-saturated, I had those songs on repeat. You’re in for a treat, though. Don’t expect one song, then another song, then another song in some kind of static procession. The songs flow into each other seamlessly.
