Style: Eclectic worship; compare to Enter the Worship Circle, Aaron Strumpel
Hold on to Love
June 28, 2011
Hold on to Love
June 28, 2011
Top tracks: “Nazina,” “Sunrise,” “Hunger and Thirst”
Imagine Ani DiFranco doing worship backed alternately by the ambient Hammock and Middle Eastern and African instrumentalists. Tracy Howe Wispelwey’s seventh album reaches that broadly, and the eclectic risks pay off with a rich, worshipful tapestry. The communal rather than individualistic heart grows from the Beatitudes and conveys a refreshingly prophetic yet humble spirit. Lyrics are often mantra-simple and run repetitive in spots, but layers of electronica and organic world stylings—vocal cadences including Taize and Native American chants and instrumentation such as sitar—mostly keep them engaging. A devoted peacemaker, Wispelwey invites listeners to worship by giving voice to the voiceless, near (“Border Watcher”) and far (“Amahoro,” “Nazina”).
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