Ross King: Soulspeak Review

Ross King knows what he’s doing. His new CD, “Soulspeak,” is his fifth solo project, and he is also a worship pastor, engineer/producer, and a songwriter.

In fact, he produced "Soulspeak," consisting of fourteen tracks of worship songs, all but two written or co-written by King. They are, for the most part, straightforward acoustic guitar-driven songs of sincere worship and praise, pretty much Sunday morning ready. His worship pastor's heart shines through, as well as his love for the One he sings of. The opener, "Glorified in Me," says it all, with that famous John Piper principle, "You are glorified in me when I am satisfied in You." Many of these fourteen tracks continue this theme of satisfaction in God.

The bass work of Nathan Kawaller stands out fairly often, especially his bowed bass on the wonderful little upbeat ditty that is "Ready to Receive," two and a half minutes of soothing invitation. Josh Smith's violin opens the standout track "Everlasting" very nicely as well; the strings are used beautifully throughout this album. The layered vocals on "Everlasting" join taut strings to bring this anthem of praise to a ringing crescendo. King gets things going again with his passionate vocals in the rousing chorus of "All We've Ever Wanted." The rollicking "Holy Spirit" is a joyous affirmation of the Spirit's great work in us. King closes the project nicely with "Great is Your Love," the jazz flair of the opening keyboards and the simmering organ beneath paving the way for a bit of a looser feel. I wish he hadn't waited until the end to cut loose, I could have gone for more of that. But many will enjoy this fifth project of the talented and busy Ross King.