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| ><> CMR Album Review <>< |
'The Altar and the Door'
[Release Date: August 28, 2007] (Beachstreet Records)
Track Listing
1. What This World Needs [Listen]
2. Every Man [Listen]
3. Slow Fade [Listen]
4. East To West [Listen]
5. The Word Is Alive [Listen]
6. The Altar and the Door [Listen]
7. Somewhere In The Middle [Listen]
8. I Know You're There [Listen]
1. What This World Needs [Listen]
2. Every Man [Listen]
3. Slow Fade [Listen]
4. East To West [Listen]
5. The Word Is Alive [Listen]
6. The Altar and the Door [Listen]
7. Somewhere In The Middle [Listen]
8. I Know You're There [Listen]
| 4.0 |
| 2.8 |
| 2.0 |
| 0.8 |
| 9.6 |
| 96% A |
| ><> Review Written By: Jay Heilman (jay.heilman@christianmusicreview.org) <>< ><> Date Written: August 20, 2007 <>< |
| [ Main Review ] |
| [ Writer's Closing Thoughts ] |
| Casting Crowns seem to get better and better over time. The group that once started with the release of "If We Are The Body" has gone on to sell more the 3.5 millions records and become one of the few Christian bands to win a Dove Award, American Music Award and a Grammy. 'The Altar and the Door' is an album that promises to be one that stands the test of time. Casting Crowns isn't going anywhere (until Jesus comes back anyway) and I would expect each project they release to be some of the finest and most inspirational and ministering that Christian music has to offer! |
There are few artists out there who have accomplished as much as Casting Crowns has in
its four years recording professionally on a national label. Mark Hall has been nominated
and won Dove Awards ‘Songwriter of the Year’, the group has won ‘Group of the Year’ and
has won for ‘Song of the Year’ and even a Grammy. There are few groups who
accomplished this much in such a short period of time. There’s only one reason I can think
of behind this. The Lord. I believe the Lord blesses those who put Him first. I can attest
first-hand of Mark Hall’s passion to do the Lord’s work within the ministry of Casting
Crowns. How many Christian groups can you count that are in their home churches nearly
every Wednesday and Sunday? Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen very often, but as I said,
Mark Hall and Casting Crowns are different. They have been blessed for their hard work
and have much to show for it.
Casting Crowns returns with their third studio release, ‘The Altar and the Door’. “This is
where we all live as believers – somewhere between the altar and the door” is printed on
the inside of the booklet accompanying the album. I think it sums up the message of the
entire record.
The first track, “What This World Needs”, with its rock-driven intro delves into the message
of the true needs and focuses the church should have. One verse says “What this world
needs is for us to care more about the inside then the outside / Have we become so blind
that we can’t see? / God’s gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt / What this
world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance / Blending in so well that people
can’t see the difference.” I think what we forget sometimes, even as Christians, is that we
tend to focus on what’s not very important, instead of Christ, whose purpose was to come
and save those who are lost. I like the spoken part at the end, which says in one line,
“Jesus is going to save the world, but maybe the best thing we can do, is just get out of the
way”. That basically sums it up, focus should be on Christ. Not denomination. Not the
version of the Bible you read or study. But allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work. We are
the beacon of hope to a dying and lost world. Why many people are focused on trying to
find happiness and health in life, thinking they need to do it on their own, many are
deceived and don’t know that God is what they truly need. If we as Christians aren’t telling
them about the hope found in Christ, then we’re allowing the world to go on in their daily
routine, unaware of the dangers of eternity that lie ahead. “Every Man” answers this very
question. Is there hope for every man? Yes, His name is Jesus.
“Slow Fade” really got me thinking about a conversation that I had with my own pastor
regarding a past stumbling block that kept coming back into my life. He reminded me that
the Bible said that I had to guard my heart so that those past desires wouldn’t overtake
me, leading to what Mark describes in the song as ‘spreading cancer of moral failure’ that
plagues the best of us. Mark’s daughter, Reagan makes her singing debut in the song
with her take on the children’s song, “Oh be careful little eyes what you see”, what you see
and what you do can lead to destruction and moral decay. One of the highlights of the
album is the first single, “East to West”. We often as believers forget that Christ not only
died for our sins, but cast our sins as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12).
Aren’t you glad that we’re separated like that from our transgressions? I sure am! Praise
God. The message of the song really got a hold of my heart and made me realize what
God has done for me. He’s removed that sin from our life and separated us from it.
(Colossians 2:9-15). “The Word Is Alive” is probably one of the most powerful messages
on the album. God’s word is truly alive. It was created to give us knowledge, to let us
know what God wants us to do, (2 Timothy 3:16-17), it is infallible, inerrant, living word of
the living God. It’s nothing to be ashamed of either. Romans 1:16 says “For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth”. It cuts like a double-edged sword, (Hebrews 4:12-13). The title-track, “The
Altar and the Door”, Mark says had derived from a line in the song, “Somewhere in the
Middle”, but on their way to Nashville one afternoon, the Lord gave this song to Mark.
Allowing the Lord to work in our lives, and not to try so hard to try so hard – we need to
allow Christ to work in our lives and do the work for us. As believers, we live our lives
between the world and God, between the Altar and the door. We laid ourselves on the
altar to serve the Lord, now is the time to step up and do what we were called to do.
“Somewhere In the Middle”. Wow, what a message! I have only come to realize that I am
not always where God wants me. You can normally find me somewhere in the middle.
That’s not where God wants us. He wants us to totally submit and give our lives to Him so
that He can use us where we want. One thought provoking verse says, “Just how close
can I get Lord? / To my surrender without losing control.” Those words couldn’t be truer.
This is what I love about Mark’s writing. He really gets down and writes music that truly
ministers and provokes thought within the listener. I believe that’s what puts him in the
elite of Christian songwriters, one great reason why he has been named ‘Songwriter of the
Year’. Melodee Devevo displays her embracing vocals on the song, “I Know You’re
There”, a song written for the group by a worship leader at a local church, named Jeff
Chandler. The song reminds that God is just more then the One spoken of throughout the
Bible, but that He is a living force that is often felt in our lives. He is there when we need
Him, when we don’t know what to do. Just like the poem, “Footprints in the Sand”, God is
there even there when we least realize it.
When I first heard the song, “Prayer for a Friend”, there were many people in my life that
immediately came to my mind. People who I had told about Jesus Christ, and the need to
be saved from their sins. But, despite my best efforts, there is nothing else I can do for
them. The only thing you can do is to lift that person to the Lord and let Him work in their
life. No matter who it is, whether it is a friend, a mother or a father, nothing is impossible
with God. (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27). Keep praying, God hears you. Never cease to
pray.
The last track (or so I thought), “All Because Of Jesus” is one of those songs that will have
you singing. We owe everything to Christ. It’s because of Jesus that we have life. That
we have Salvation. He’s the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) The song,
written by Steve Fee, who heads up the new INO Records group Fee, also had recorded
this song for their major-label debut, ‘We Shine’. Mark says of the song, “We had been
singing this song in worship at our church long before we decided to record it. Steve is an
amazing worship leader and has a new record out now”.
I won’t ruin the surprise at the end of the record; just continue to listen at what seems to be
the end of track ten.
All in all, I loved this album. ‘The Altar and the Door’ is another reason why Casting
Crowns continues to be one of the most successful and blessed Christian artists out there
today. If you have the chance to pick this one up, don’t miss out, it’s definitely worth the
buy and the listen. I can guarantee it. Be blessed as you listen!
its four years recording professionally on a national label. Mark Hall has been nominated
and won Dove Awards ‘Songwriter of the Year’, the group has won ‘Group of the Year’ and
has won for ‘Song of the Year’ and even a Grammy. There are few groups who
accomplished this much in such a short period of time. There’s only one reason I can think
of behind this. The Lord. I believe the Lord blesses those who put Him first. I can attest
first-hand of Mark Hall’s passion to do the Lord’s work within the ministry of Casting
Crowns. How many Christian groups can you count that are in their home churches nearly
every Wednesday and Sunday? Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen very often, but as I said,
Mark Hall and Casting Crowns are different. They have been blessed for their hard work
and have much to show for it.
Casting Crowns returns with their third studio release, ‘The Altar and the Door’. “This is
where we all live as believers – somewhere between the altar and the door” is printed on
the inside of the booklet accompanying the album. I think it sums up the message of the
entire record.
The first track, “What This World Needs”, with its rock-driven intro delves into the message
of the true needs and focuses the church should have. One verse says “What this world
needs is for us to care more about the inside then the outside / Have we become so blind
that we can’t see? / God’s gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt / What this
world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance / Blending in so well that people
can’t see the difference.” I think what we forget sometimes, even as Christians, is that we
tend to focus on what’s not very important, instead of Christ, whose purpose was to come
and save those who are lost. I like the spoken part at the end, which says in one line,
“Jesus is going to save the world, but maybe the best thing we can do, is just get out of the
way”. That basically sums it up, focus should be on Christ. Not denomination. Not the
version of the Bible you read or study. But allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work. We are
the beacon of hope to a dying and lost world. Why many people are focused on trying to
find happiness and health in life, thinking they need to do it on their own, many are
deceived and don’t know that God is what they truly need. If we as Christians aren’t telling
them about the hope found in Christ, then we’re allowing the world to go on in their daily
routine, unaware of the dangers of eternity that lie ahead. “Every Man” answers this very
question. Is there hope for every man? Yes, His name is Jesus.
“Slow Fade” really got me thinking about a conversation that I had with my own pastor
regarding a past stumbling block that kept coming back into my life. He reminded me that
the Bible said that I had to guard my heart so that those past desires wouldn’t overtake
me, leading to what Mark describes in the song as ‘spreading cancer of moral failure’ that
plagues the best of us. Mark’s daughter, Reagan makes her singing debut in the song
with her take on the children’s song, “Oh be careful little eyes what you see”, what you see
and what you do can lead to destruction and moral decay. One of the highlights of the
album is the first single, “East to West”. We often as believers forget that Christ not only
died for our sins, but cast our sins as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12).
Aren’t you glad that we’re separated like that from our transgressions? I sure am! Praise
God. The message of the song really got a hold of my heart and made me realize what
God has done for me. He’s removed that sin from our life and separated us from it.
(Colossians 2:9-15). “The Word Is Alive” is probably one of the most powerful messages
on the album. God’s word is truly alive. It was created to give us knowledge, to let us
know what God wants us to do, (2 Timothy 3:16-17), it is infallible, inerrant, living word of
the living God. It’s nothing to be ashamed of either. Romans 1:16 says “For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth”. It cuts like a double-edged sword, (Hebrews 4:12-13). The title-track, “The
Altar and the Door”, Mark says had derived from a line in the song, “Somewhere in the
Middle”, but on their way to Nashville one afternoon, the Lord gave this song to Mark.
Allowing the Lord to work in our lives, and not to try so hard to try so hard – we need to
allow Christ to work in our lives and do the work for us. As believers, we live our lives
between the world and God, between the Altar and the door. We laid ourselves on the
altar to serve the Lord, now is the time to step up and do what we were called to do.
“Somewhere In the Middle”. Wow, what a message! I have only come to realize that I am
not always where God wants me. You can normally find me somewhere in the middle.
That’s not where God wants us. He wants us to totally submit and give our lives to Him so
that He can use us where we want. One thought provoking verse says, “Just how close
can I get Lord? / To my surrender without losing control.” Those words couldn’t be truer.
This is what I love about Mark’s writing. He really gets down and writes music that truly
ministers and provokes thought within the listener. I believe that’s what puts him in the
elite of Christian songwriters, one great reason why he has been named ‘Songwriter of the
Year’. Melodee Devevo displays her embracing vocals on the song, “I Know You’re
There”, a song written for the group by a worship leader at a local church, named Jeff
Chandler. The song reminds that God is just more then the One spoken of throughout the
Bible, but that He is a living force that is often felt in our lives. He is there when we need
Him, when we don’t know what to do. Just like the poem, “Footprints in the Sand”, God is
there even there when we least realize it.
When I first heard the song, “Prayer for a Friend”, there were many people in my life that
immediately came to my mind. People who I had told about Jesus Christ, and the need to
be saved from their sins. But, despite my best efforts, there is nothing else I can do for
them. The only thing you can do is to lift that person to the Lord and let Him work in their
life. No matter who it is, whether it is a friend, a mother or a father, nothing is impossible
with God. (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27). Keep praying, God hears you. Never cease to
pray.
The last track (or so I thought), “All Because Of Jesus” is one of those songs that will have
you singing. We owe everything to Christ. It’s because of Jesus that we have life. That
we have Salvation. He’s the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) The song,
written by Steve Fee, who heads up the new INO Records group Fee, also had recorded
this song for their major-label debut, ‘We Shine’. Mark says of the song, “We had been
singing this song in worship at our church long before we decided to record it. Steve is an
amazing worship leader and has a new record out now”.
I won’t ruin the surprise at the end of the record; just continue to listen at what seems to be
the end of track ten.
All in all, I loved this album. ‘The Altar and the Door’ is another reason why Casting
Crowns continues to be one of the most successful and blessed Christian artists out there
today. If you have the chance to pick this one up, don’t miss out, it’s definitely worth the
buy and the listen. I can guarantee it. Be blessed as you listen!
