Matt Redman's eagerly awaited "Beautiful News" releases December 26th, making the season even brighter with its pulsating sense of exhilaration and joyous release.
The good news is that “Beautiful News” has a nice edge to it, maybe the hardest rocking album of Redman’s deeply expressive worship projects. The opening title track with its crunchy guitar hooks and splashy drums even has some John Lennon vocal moments. The momentary mantle fits Redman well, for like Lennon, he is always on the forefront of his generation’s musical explorations. There are numerous subtle gems of such explorations scattered throughout “Beautiful News,” and the first radio single, “You Never Let Go,” contains several of them. This mid-tempo atmospheric track moves mid-song into effervescent praise, backed by strong percussive rhythms and shimmering guitars under Redman’s low passionate vocals. It’s especially powerful when you consider that Redman and his wife wrote it together in a season of deep loss, even as the London bombings were going on in their country. The piano-driven “Shine” is exhilarating in terms of energy and expression, building to a rich crescendo of devotion and desire. It echoes Philippians 2 with the verse: “We will shine like stars in the universe/ holding out your truth in the darkest place” and pleads for God to “set your holy church on fire.”
Redman cuts loose on a few pounding rockers with creative beats (“Take It to the Streets,” co-written with Martin Smith), aggressive guitars (“Blessing”), and pop percolations (“All Over the World,” again with Smith), proving himself a worship master in every form. His passion lends itself to the thickly atmospheric arrangements of several of these tracks, the moving “Yes And Amen,” a pledge of devotion and commitment, and the rousing chorus of “A Greater Song,” co-written with Paul Baloche, thick with strings and emotion. But his straight-up ballads are equally expressive. “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made,” written shortly after the Redmans saw their first ultrasound of their own baby, opens with the recorded heartbeat of a 16 week-old fetus in the womb, accentuating the power of the song’s theme: in light of this Creation, what am I going to do now? A side note: they welcomed Rocco Benjamin Redman into the world this past September.
The simple but sincere vocals of “When All is Said and Done” plead for Presence, and lead perfectly into the standout track, and centerpiece of this powerful project, “If You Know.” A free-flowing call to a life of worship is carried on a beautiful bed of lush strings, sensitive piano and Redman’s own thick passion. Its quiet echoes as the track ends only adds to the song’s stark power. It’s back to Lennon on the closer, a reprise of the title track, heavy on the sonic highlights. It effectively leaves you remembering Who the album is all about, nicely done by a true servant of the King. Keep Matt Redman's “Beautiful News” in mind when you head out to the mall to return those Christmas gifts this year. It will more than make up for that fruitcake.
