  |
|
|
|
Worship Jamz 3 producer Rick Altizer thought he spotted a gap in the worship coverage a few years ago.
Many “tweeners,” preteen kids between the ages of 9-13, were being targeted by labels and producers making Disney, Britney Spears, and Hannah Montana rich, but he saw no one offering the overlooked age group worship music geared to their listening tastes. Enter the Worship Jamz series, putting real drums, real musicians and quality budgets toward turning contemporary worship songs into a tweener-oriented worship experience all their own. Rick Altizer claims his sound is for the N’Sync crowd, but I’d have to say I see it as less rock, oriented more toward a youngish pop audience. Worship Jamz 3 features 18 tracks of mid-to-up-tempo worship covers, and quite a mix at that. He covers choruses favored by the last generation (“As the Deer” and “Majesty”) to classic, ageless hymns (“Old Rugged Cross” and “Power In The Blood”), to songs from contemporary artists Darrell Evans (“Trading My Sorrows”) and Michael W. Smith (“Breathe”). Altizer gives each song a peppy energy boost, brings the drums out front and center, and lays down sunny vocal tracks from a generic youth choir. It’s a project geared toward younger listeners, so you can’t apply adult standards to it, of course, but even given its youthful target, it comes across as a bit “dumbed down” to me. A few tracks are given a bit of nuance that help them greatly, like the Spanish-flaired guitars and beats of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and the smooth urban groove of “Power In The Blood.” But more often than not, Altizer has chosen to burn through the 18 tracks with little variety or shading. I’m of the opinion that many kids can differentiate between upbeat joyful praise, and more solemn lingering worship, but they are never given the opportunity to do so with Jamz 3. Even the sensitive “Breathe” is served up at a breakneck pace that comes across as a bit frenetic, to my mind, youth-oriented or not. However, feel free to take my comments with a grain of salt. This is the fourth Jamz project, have been highly successful. Apparently 300,000 people watching Nickelodean would disagree with me, for that’s how many bought the last album advertised on the station. And any project that reaches that many kids with worship music can’t be all bad. This is one time I’d be very happy to be wrong. Worship Jamz 3 the streets on July 24th from Razor & Tie Records.
The copyright of the article Worship Jamz 3 in Christian Music is owned by Kevan Breitinger. Permission to republish Worship Jamz 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
