|
Style: Eclectic worship; compare to Enter the Worship Circle, Aaron Strumpel
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").
Copyright © 2011 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
Annual & Monthly subscriptions available.
- Print & Digital Issues of CT magazine
- Complete access to every article on ChristianityToday.com
- Unlimited access to 65+ years of CT’s online archives
- Member-only special issues
- Learn more
Read These Next
- TrendingAmerican Christians Should Stand with Israel under AttackWhile we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
- From the MagazineThe Evil Ideas Behind October 7The Hamas attacks in Israel have a grotesque ideological history and deserve unflinching moral judgment.Português
- Editor's PickA Theologian’s Vision of ‘Peasant’ Politics Is Surprisingly Lordly in ScopeEphraim Radner’s “narrow” concern for protecting the mundane goods of earthly life isn’t so narrow after all.