By: James Southworth
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
There are only a couple of groups out there that are really doing worship music right. It can be so easy to fall into the rut of making same-sounding anthems with lukewarm, comfortable sentiments about God, and sometimes worship songs can so easily be about us rather than about God and our relationship with Him. Rend Collective has never fallen into that trap. Even in their earliest years I've always viewed this Irish group as one that was actively going trying to make worship a more powerful and effective genre. This band certainly has an accessibility about them, but I think that they have always done a good job of combining that with their interesting folk/rock genre and their theologically sound lyricism. RC's new album "Good News" is far and away the band's best album to date. It is full of creativity, passion, and some of the band's most upbeat and most intimate songs to date.
If there's one thing that this album has on its mind, it is certainly to deliver the much needed message of the gospel, which actually means 'good news'. In volatile times like these, sometimes it can be forgotten just how much we as Christians need to be reminded of the basic truths about God. We also sometimes just need to be reminded of something that is beautiful and essentially good. Rend Collective certainly deliver that sentiment right away with the opening track "Life is Beautiful". This song begins uniquely with a flute being played before going into a big band sound, with even some brass instrumentation being implemented. This song reveals right away how musically creative and diverse this album will be in general. This song just makes you feel good, and there's honestly nothing to complain about. "I Will Be Undignified" has RC at their folksiest ever, utilizing banjos and fiddles throughout the whole song. It honestly surprised me how prominent these instruments were, as in previous albums they've usually been mixed in with acoustic guitars. I'm glad I got to hear them in their fullness here. This song is unbelievably catchy, and you can just tell that the whole band is having a great time on this one. "Rescuer (Good News)" was an effective choice for lead single, as it is the band's signature sound, just amped up a little big more. This song delivers a simple truth about God being able to rescue all of us from sin, but I think the message is still delivered so earnestly that it's hard to fault it at all. In fact, the simplicity is refreshing in the context of this song. "Counting Every Blessing" is one of the biggest highlights of the whole album in my opinion. Chris Llwellyn's vocals are at their absolute best, and the implementation of electric guitar was a very welcome surprise. I like how the song is intimate and upbeat at the same time.
Honestly, the album might get even better from its already strong start. "Nailed to the Cross" is one of the band's most touching and honest songs to date with some absolutely stellar lyrics: "When I stand accused by my regrets/And the Devil roars his empty threats/I will preach the gospel to myself/That I am not a man condemned". I especially love the ending of this song where the whole band roars to life for a climactic finish. I can see the song "Hymn for the Ages" working very well in a live setting. This one definitely has a feeling that it could work for corporate worship, and that isn't an insult against this song. This one delivers some of the best written modern theological lyrics I've heard, and it does it in such a way that a variety of audiences can appreciate it. "True North" brings back the more upbeat nature of the band. With the big drumming and usage of lots of faced paced acoustic guitar work, this song reminds me of "Praise Like Fireworks" in the best way possible. I love how fun the song is, and the harmonies between Chris and Ali are great. My favorite song on the album comes in the resonant "No Outsiders". Not only is there a beautiful acoustic guitar being played along with Chris's vocals being at their passionate best, this song also has a powerful theme of God letting in all people regardless of where they come from. The lyrics rejoice in the truth that all are welcome into the kingdom: "There are no outsiders to Your love/We are all welcome, there’s grace enough/When I have wandered, Lord/Your cross is the open door". There's a personal aspect to the song as well, which makes all the more connecting to a diverse audience. The album winds down with another intimate song in "Weep With Me", possibly the band's best written song ever. It has the feeling of a classic hymn. "Yahweh" and "Christ Lives In Me" both end the album on a pensive, personal, and vulnerable moment.
There are only a few tracks that don't work for me. Though I don't necessarily hate "Resurrection Day", I do think it's a bit cliched when compared to the rest of the album. Its repetitive chorus is where its main problems lie, as it can be a bit annoying. "Marching On" is probably RC's worst song to date, and that's mainly due to the unnecessary feature of Hillsong Young and Free (the antithesis to Rend's creativity and interesting musicality). The combination of folk and electronics just doesn't work that well, and the lyrics are actually not that great. Thankfully, the rest of this album is so incredibly strong that this song doesn't even put a huge mark on it at the end of the day. As a whole, "Good News" is easily Rend Collective's best album, as well as one of the best worship albums I've heard in a while. It never gets boring, it's diverse in sound, and it has a great balance between fun and quiet moments. Usually, I prefer the band's more upbeat songs, but on this one, the more intimate moments are what really stand tall. I absolutely recommend this release, as it definitely has potential to make my top 10 albums of the year!
Favorite Songs: "No Outsiders", "Nailed to the Cross", "Counting Every Blessing", "I Will Be Undignified", "Weep With Me", "True North"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Marching On", "Resurrection Day"
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