Louder Than The Music

Bethel Music - Have It All

Artist:

Bethel Music

Title:

Have It All

Type:

Album

Released:

19 Feb 2016

LTTM Rating:

Your Rating:

Review

Can I be honest? Really honest? I find I can love a Bethel album one second, hate it the next, and repeat that cycle several times. However, that’s probably more a comment on my musical fickleness based on what I’m in the mood for in that particular moment and whether I’m stuck in the traffic on the way to work. So I came to this a little nervously, and some of those fears may be justified, but there’s moments on this live recording that need to be heard, embraced and played again and again, that ultimately...
Read More Can I be honest? Really honest? I find I can love a Bethel album one second, hate it the next, and repeat that cycle several times. However, that’s probably more a comment on my musical fickleness based on what I’m in the mood for in that particular moment and whether I’m stuck in the traffic on the way to work. So I came to this a little nervously, and some of those fears may be justified, but there’s moments on this live recording that need to be heard, embraced and played again and again, that ultimately won me over.

This is the first live recording at Bethel Church since 2012’s For The Sake of The World, and features names many will recognize: Brian and Jenn Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, Steffany Gretzinger, Amanda Cook, William Matthews, Jonathan Helser, Paul and Hannah McClure, Kalley Heiligenthal, Josh Baldwin as well as Bethel newcomers Leeland and Cory Asbury.

Musically intense, and unashamedly originating in pop-land it’s packed with solid words, solid tunes and let-me-see-your-hands-in-the-air moments that we’ve come to know, love and expect. Mainly keyboard driven synths you understand not piano or church organ and underpinned with crunchy guitars and solid snares, this sounds contemporary. And for me that is the strength of many of these type of albums being produced: they’re relevant music for a relevant moment, and whilst we might not be singing the songs or playing the CDs (or whatever technology is planned for us) in years to come, that’s fine: we live and worship in the moment so let’s create worship music for those moments.

We start with two stompers namely “Shine” and “Faithful to the end”. “Have it all” simmers and broods too, setting the tone for a fairly mid-pace, but definitely not dull, album. “Glory to Glory” sounded familiar but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but that might be my age kicking in (44 if you must know) and the hard to resist know-it-all’s urge to take the musical high ground of “oh that sounds like”. A lively guitar riff leads us into strong anthem territory of “The Lion and The Lamb” which became a particular favourite for me when listening and reviewing the collection. “Be Enthroned” builds to a sing-out of “Highest praises, Lord of all”, with a melody so easy to grasp it makes it easy to concentrate on singing it with passion.

The big highlights for me, and I’m sure for you, are “Colors” (their spelling, not mine), and the wonderful soaring epic that is “Pieces”. Whilst I’m sure many will attempt to recreate these in their own worship settings I’m not convinced they will sound as good as the moments captured here, but the potential for listening to these on your own and entering into the worship cloud they create is enormous: do take advantage of them. Soothing and soaring and delivered beautifully and powerfully by Brian Johnson with Lindsey Strand and the latter by Steffany Gretzinger they are worth buying the album alone for. Hinting at themes of “walking into the room” and “bring your colour in my life”, the black and white facts are these are beautiful worship moments. “Mercy” is worth further inspection too, experimenting with different rhythms and scripture themes such as “mercy triumphing over judgement” not often used in worship songs.

For me the album seemed to tail off a little into mid-paced US radio area, and the tracks stood out less but I’ve been wrong with this before and will no doubt find that further deeper listening highlights songs that I need for the moment I may find myself in particularly as many of these tracks were written out of moments both high and low. Indeed, from listening, and from the eye-catching and evocative album artwork too, I’m left in no doubt that their whole heart has gone into making this collection.

Overall, it’s well made, sumptuously recorded, and all good and genuine perhaps hard to hear it’s a live album at times, only the applause at the end being the clear evidence. There are 16 songs here - some good, and a couple exceptional - which will help in any personal worship experience and provide some rich material for the church setting.

Review by Philip Aldis

LTTM Rating 4 Out of 5 Stars
Standout Tracks
Colours
Pieces
Be Enthroned

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