Filipino-Christian Blogger Ganns Deen

Album Review: The City Harmonic, “I Have a Dream (Feels Like Home)”

Ganns — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:03:57 +0000

ALBUM TITLE: I Have a Dream (Feels Like Home)
ARTIST: The City Harmonic
BEST TRACK/S: Manifesto; Mountaintop; Yours; Holy (Wedding Day); Benediction
OVERALL RATING: 4.75/5

First off, I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to share this album review with you. When frontman and keyboardist Elias Dummer, bassist Eric Fusilier, guitarist Aaron Powell and drummer Josh Vanderlaan, better known as The City Harmonic, first burst onto the Contemporary Christian praise and worship scene in 2011 with Manifesto, I told myself, Wow, this is different!, and the music really was. Exciting drum work, passionate vocals, a piano line that just wouldn’t quit, electrifying electric guitars, and a singalong chorus that captivated the listener at first listen, all came together to make Manifesto a welcome and rare experience unlike anything that was playing on Christian AC radio at the time.

Listen to The City Harmonic’s Manifesto

And just when I thought Manifesto was a shot in the pan, Mountaintop was released as a single from the full-length debut release, I Have A Dream (Feels Like Home). Mountaintop was one of my favorite songs of the year – it ended 2012 at number six overall – and for good reason. Lead vocalist Elias Dummer sounded AMAZING! and the powerful declaration of faith that Mountaintop was, with its solid chorus featuring the band singing the chorus in breathtaking unison, made Mountaintop an irresistible song for Christians worldwide. And let’s not forget that ridiculously delicious drum line!

Listen to The City Harmonic’s Mountaintop

So where does this put I Have a Dream (Feels Like Home), the band’s debut full-length release? In a rare league of its own. Now available locally via House of Praise, this release may be the most masculine CCM album I’ve ever heard. Listening to the Canadian foursome’s debut release in its stunning, satisfying entirety, I cannot begin to tell you what kind of journey you may set yourselves on when you listen to this album.

It’s that different from any CCM release to date. It’s that good. They have the JUNO Award to prove it.

I haven’t been this verklempt to review an album that I’ve connected to so personally since Jimmy Needham’s Clear the Stage. So let’s get started.

I Have a Dream (Feels Like Home) opens with Yours, which is an incredible opening song. There’s something about The City Harmonic’s drum lines; they are raw and powerful, and Yours showcases this, even as Dummer leads the band – and anyone listening to the album – in a powerful declaration of faith: You can have it all, all of it, Yours, referring to hopes, dreams, thoughts, sin, fear… it’s emotional and it’s primal.

Spark follows Yours, and the poetry of the verse lyrics can literally make a person hold his breath. When I breathe in hope and breathe in grace and breathe in God, then I’ll breathe out peace, breathe out justice, breathe out love. It’s a beautiful reference to the importance of the Holy Spirit in empowering a believer to become salt and light to his community. Shortly after Spark closes, we then hear a speech from Martin Luther King that transitions into Mountaintop.

That Mountaintop was designed to elicit communal singing is no small feat. It is hard to come up with anthemic songs, much less the kind that impacts both youth and their parents. Mountaintop is an absolute gem of a song, my favorite track off I Have a Dream (Feels Like Home).

Fell Apart follows Mountaintop. While the ubiquitous sing-along chorus is still there, it’s when the instruments disappear and Dummer’s voice is all that remains as he sings “You’re something real in the world of fake,” that this song becomes intensely spiritual. Be Still O My Soul, an almost hymn-like piano-laced track that starts off with Dummer singing far off, sounds wonderful as well.

Wake Me Up is probably my least favorite track on this release, owing to its rather synth-driven instrumentation. Getting past it into I Have a Dream (Feels Like Home), another previous single, is an easy decision.

Listen to The City Harmonic’s I Have a Dream (Feels Like Home)

I Have a Dream (It Feels Like Home) is a strong and viable follow-up to its Christian AC hit, Manifesto. While not immediately as catchy as Manifesto, I Have a Dream (It Feels Like Home) has a classic anthem rock feel to it, especially with the Hooooooooome singalong chorus at the end, which I’m sure will sound fantastic in large venues across the country.

Le Reve, Love, and Holy (Wedding Day) are particularly poignant songs that follow the energy and passion of “I Have a Dream (Feels Like Home). Whether it’s Dummer singing, “What could I do without You?” in Le Reve or Death, where is thy sting? in Holy, or tapping their inner Mumford and Sons for Love, we can see the sensitivity that Dummer is capable of, clearly making his voices one of current CCM’s most recognizable and beautiful voices.

By the time we reach Benediction, a song blessing the listener – the point of a benediction in the first place – we are spent, but because the song is so encouraging, we are energized once again. Live like you mean it, sing like you’re living for God, goodbye, He says goodbye… beautiful.

(Manifesto is then given to us as a bonus track, and is almost anticlimactic in its positioning. While easily The City Harmonic’s most popular song, the gorgeous ending of Benediction would have made the album satisfying in itself.)

I cannot express how phenomenal The City Harmonic’s I Have a Dream (Feels Like Home) is. Musically, lyrically, vocally, thematically, theologically, it is an absolutely stunning album, easily one of my favorite debut CCM releases of the decade, if not all time, and I do not say that lightly. Elias Dummer and his three bandmates have crafted a sonically pleasing, spiritually satisfying release that will stand the test of time.

Love and the Outcome, “He Is With Us”

Ganns — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:34:25 +0000

New Contemporary Christian duo Love and the Outcome has released He Is With Us. I am loving this harmony-laced acoustic ditty, and the female vocals are passionate and strong. This should be a hit soon enough, with a final finish comfortably within the Top 20 virtually guaranteed.

HE IS WITH US Lyrics after the jump.

HE IS WITH US Lyrics
Love and the Outcome

Remember when your hope is lost and faith is shaken
Remember when you wonder if you’re gonna make it
There’s a hand stretched out through your deepest doubt
We can’t pretend to see the ending or what’s coming up ahead
To know the story of tomorrow
But we can stay close to the One who knows

We believe there is purpose, there is meaning in everything
We surrender to His leading
He wants nothing more than to have us close

Our faith is sealed
Our hope is real
Come what may
We’re not afraid
Our faith is sealed
Our hope is real
Come what may
We’re not afraid
We’re not afraid

We can trust our God
Always, always
We can trust our God
Always, always

We can trust our God
He knows what He’s doing
Though it might hurt now
We won’t be ruined
It might seem there’s an ocean in between
But He’s holding on to you and me
And He’s never gonna leave, no
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always
Our God is with us
Love and the Outcome

Billboard Top Christian Songs – July 22, 2013

Ganns — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 08:04:20 +0000

Matthew West’s Hello My Name Is earns a fourth week at number one on Billboard’s Top Christian Songs chart, making it a full month at number one. Chris Tomlin’s Whom Shall I Fear rebounds from 4-2, and The Afters’ Every Good Thing spend a second week at number three to round up the top three most popular Christian songs in the USA. Tenth Avenue North’s Worn moves up 11-10 this week to earn the popular Christian pop-rock band its latest Top 10 hit.

1. (1) Matthew West Hello My Name Is

2. (4) Chris Tomlin Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)

3. (3) The Afters Every Good Thing

4. (2) Hawk Nelson featuring Bart Millard of MercyMe Words

5. (7) Sidewalk Prophets Help Me Find It

6. (5) MercyMe You Are I Am

7. (9) Building 429 We Won’t Be Shaken

8. (6) Passion One Thing Remains

9. (8) tobyMac Steal My Show

10. (12) Tenth Avenue North Worn

Plumb, “One Drop”

Ganns — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 22:00:39 +0000

Contemporary Christian singer/songwriter Plumb has released One Drop as the second single from her new release, Need You Now. Plumb, or Tiffany Lee Arbuckle, as the singer is known in real life, has proven she can sing pretty much any kind of music, and with One Drop, a ukelele-driven acoustic toe-tapper that may be my favorite Plumb song ever, she ventures into musical territory explored by such artists like Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat, Train, and Francesca Battistelli. This kind of light pop-rock has proven to be quite effective, radio-wise, and I’m hoping Christian radio will open up to One Drop the way they sorta kinda did with Battistelli’s This is the Stuff. They already showed they were ready for Plumb when they sent Need You Now to number three; here’s hoping One Drop outperforms that single.

ONE DROP Lyrics after the jump.

ONE DROP Lyrics
Plumb

Billboard Top Christian Songs – June 15, 2013

Ganns — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 01:03:55 +0000

Matthew West’s Hello My Name Is scores a third week at number one on Billboard’s Top Christian Songs chart, fending off a renewed effort from Hawk Nelson’s Words, which reaches a new peak of number two, and The Afters’ Every Good Thing, also reaching a new peak at number three. New to the Top 10 is Building 429′s We Won’t Be Shaken, my favorite Building 429 song EVER, finally a Top 10 hit after 14 weeks. Francesca Battistelli also holds on to her slot in the top 10, as Strangely Dim falters a slot to #10, but still helping Fran maintain the only female singer status in the Top 10.

1. (1) Matthew West Hello My Name Is

2. (3) Hawk Nelson featuring Bart Millard of MercyMe Words

3. (4) The Afters Every Good Thing

4. (2) Chris Tomlin Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)

5. (5) MercyMe You Are I Am

6. (6) Passion One Thing Remains

7. (7) Sidewalk Prophets Help Me Find It

8. (8) tobyMac Steal My Show

9. (12) Building 429 We Won’t Be Shaken

10. (9) Francesca Battistelli Strangely Dim

Mark Schultz, “I Gave Up”

Ganns — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 03:50:14 +0000

Contemporary Christian singer/songwriter Mark Schultz has released I Gave Up as the follow-up to his Top 10 hit, All Things Possible. Schultz is one of Contemporary Christian music’s most gifted pop-rock songwriters and I Gave Up is another brilliant example of how well he can partner an irresistible melody with a catchy lyric to come up with a ballpark winner. I, for one, can’t stop singing it! I love the horns, I love the thick harmonies and the gospel chorus towards the end… and of course, any song about grace and humility is always encouraging for the Christian walk. Lifted off Schultz’s stellar All Things Possible, I Gave Up should easily make the Top 10 of the Inspo charts, but I would love to see this become Schultz’s second straight Top 10 hit, and it definitely deserves to be.

I GAVE UP Lyrics after the jump.

I GAVE UP Lyrics
Mark Schultz

I gave up all my striving
I gave up living lies
I gave up analyzing if I measure up or if I’m right?
I gave up criticizing
I gave up being right
I gave up always trying to be good enough in some people’s eyes

Well I don’t need a house on top of the world
I like the car I’m driving
Everything I got ain’t what I’m worth
That’s not the reason I’m living
I don’t need to see my name in lights or leave any grand impression
I’ve got everything I need in life ‘cause love’s all we’re taking to heaven

I gave up comprising
I gave up all my pride
I gave up justifying and found who I was in my Savior’s eyes

Always working, never stopping, talking on the cell phone
Never find the time to get away and leave the work load
Run around in circles just to keep up with the Joneses
Even in the 9 to 5 all I really know is…

I don’t need a house on top of the world
I like the car I’m driving
Everything I got ain’t what I’m worth
That’s not the reason I’m living
I don’t need to see my name in lights or leave any grand impression
I’ve got everything I need in life ‘cause love’s all we’re taking to heaven

I gave up all my striving
I gave up living lies
I gave up justifying and found who I was in my Savior’s eyes

I gave up
I gave up
Oh I gave up
I gave up
Oh yeah

Big Daddy Weave, “The Only Name (Yours Will Be)”

Ganns — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 02:46:17 +0000

Contemporary Christian pop/rock band Big Daddy Weave has released The Only Name (Yours Will Be) as the follow-up to its number one single, Redeemed. I’m pleased with the release of The Only Name (Yours Will Be); its radio-friendly melody, quality lyrics, and of course, impassioned delivery, makes The Only Name (Yours Will Be) an ideal follow-up to Redeemed, which is in itself a surefire bet for nomination in the Dove Awards’ Record of the Year category.

THE ONLY NAME (YOURS WILL BE) Lyrics right after the jump.

THE ONLY NAME (YOURS WILL BE) Lyrics
Big Daddy Weave

Yours will be the only Name that matters to me
The only One Whose favor I seek
The only Name that matters to me

Yours will be
The friendship and affection I need
To feel my Father smiling on me
The only Name that matters to me

Yours is the Name the Name that has saved me
Mercy and grace the power that forgave me
And Your love is all I’ve ever needed

When I wake up in the Land of Glory
And with the saints I will tell my story
There will be one Name that I proclaim

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, just that Name

Natalie Grant, “Hurricane”

Ganns — Sat, 25 May 2013 20:47:52 +0000

Contemporary Christian singer Natalie Grant has released Hurricane, her first single in two years. The timing of Hurricane, while poetically apt, could not have been better, if not a little discomfiting. Oklahoma was battered by super tornadoes over the course of last week, and this encouraging song has spoken to thousands upon thousands in this unfortunate situation. Of course, the eternal message of God’s love and support goes beyond natural disaster, but still, there’s no denying that Hurricane is a very, very good song that goes beyond the timing of its release. Clearly one of Grant’s best releases, and, in my opinion, a very strong contender for Top 5 status.

HURRICANE Lyrics after the jump.

HURRICANE Lyrics
Natalie Grant

You’re spinning out of control again
Your life feels like a sinking ship
You’re wondering how it came to this

Is it too late?
Is it too far?
For Him to reach you
And come to where you are

Step out on the edge
Don’t be afraid of it
And when you feel the rain
Call His name
He’ll find you in the hurricane

You’re in the wreckage underneath
Your hope is buried somewhere deep
You’re wondering how long it will keep?

It’s never too late
Never too far
For you to reach out
And take a hold of love

Step out on the edge
Don’t be afraid of it
And when you feel the rain
Call His name
He’ll find you in the hurricane

Don’t back down from the fight
He’ll shelter you tonight
Just hold on for the change
Call His name
He’ll find you in the hurricane

There’s a place, there’s a place you can run
When you fall, and it’s all come undone
You’ll be safe in the raging storm
So just let go
‘Cause you are held in His arms

Step out on the edge
Don’t be afraid of it
And when you feel the rain
Call His name
He’ll find you in the hurricane

Ooo ooo…

And when you feel the rain
Call His name
He’ll find you in a hurricane

Billboard Top Christian Songs – June 1, 2013

Ganns — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:50:06 +0000

After 15 non-consecutive weeks at number one, in the process establishing its singer as the dominant musical force of his generation, Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) by Chris Tomlin drops to number two this week. Replacing it is Matthew West’s Hello My Name Is, the second single from the Christian singer/songwriter’s Grammy Award-nominated Into the Light. Hello My Name Is becomes West’s fifth number one single, and his first since his Christmas duet with Amy Grant, Give This Christmas Away, topped the chart in December 2010. Not counting this holiday release, it’s his first chart-topper since The Motions in 2008. West’s five year wait between number one’s wasn’t a lonely one, though; he’d had four Top 10 hits along the way, including two near-misses, as both Forgiveness, the carrier of Into the Lightm and The Heart of Christmas, West’s most recent holiday release, both peaked at number two.

I am so happy. Matthew is my favorite Christian singer/songwriter, and the fact that Hello My Name Is, my favorite song off Into the Light, is his latest number one makes me so giddy and happy that I almost want to cry. I won’t, though, because I’ll save that for later, when I listen to Into the Light again. Welcome to the Matthew West fanfest.

1. (2) Matthew West Hello My Name Is

2. (1) Chris Tomlin Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)

3. (4) Hawk Nelson featuring Bart Millard of MercyMe Words

4. (5) tobyMac Steal My Show

5. (6) The Afters Every Good Thing

6. (3) Passion One Thing Remains

7. (7) MercyMe You Are I Am

8. (8) Sidewalk Prophets Help Me Find It

9. (9) Big Daddy Weave Redeemed

10. (10) Tenth Avenue North Worn

Jeremy Camp, “My God”

Ganns — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:27:54 +0000

Contemporary Christian superstar Jeremy Camp has released My God as the second single off his latest album, Reckless. Now, I’ll be honest with you. Reckless didn’t grab me off the bat, but My God is an instant winner. The fact that it’s the Greatest Gainer this week on Billboard’s Christian Songs chart – 36 to 24, I think – in just its second week on the chart tells me that My God will easily be Camp’s latest Top 10, and very very possibly, latest number one hit. Great job, Jeremy.

MY GOD Lyrics after the jump.

MY GOD Lyrics
Jeremy Camp

All of who You are reaches the darkest parts
Lifting the weight and erasing the scars that had a hold on me
Here I am bearing all, tearing down every wall
So amazed by Your grace and the way You’re still holding me
Whoa whoa, whoa whoa

My God, You are the unchanging love
My God, Your heart sends hope from above
The great Creator, beautiful Savior
I’ve been redeemed
There is life now from Your victory
You are my God
You are my God

There is no other one, who’s given a greater love
Laying aside His own life on the cross
Reaching out to us
Whoa whoa, whoa whoa

My God, You are the unchanging love
My God, Your heart sends hope from above
The great Creator, beautiful Savior
I’ve been redeemed
There is life now from Your victory
You are my God
You are my God

When my hope starts fading out
You are where my strength is found
I know I won’t be alone

My God, You are a beautiful love
My God, You are a beautiful love
My God, You are a beautiful love
My God, You are a beautiful love

My God, You are the unchanging love
My God, Your heart sends hope from above
The great Creator, beautiful Savior
I’ve been redeemed
There is life now from Your victory
There is victory
You are my God
You are my God
You are my God
You are my God