The first time I heard Charlie Hall was six years ago, I had just bought Passion: Everything Glorious, my first Passion
album. Back then I wasn’t a big fan of live albums so I wasn’t expecting much. I’m half way through the album and not
really all that impressed, when Charlie Hall’s “All We Need” starts playing. I was utterly speechless. In that moment I was
so incredibly moved I was brought to tears. Little did I know that this guy, Charlie Hall, was a well known (and now
renowned) Worship artist.
Two years after The Bight Sadness, Charlie Hall brings us another great album, his fifth release on sixsteprecords, The
Rising.
The album starts off on a high note with the upbeat and energetic “The Rising (A Song of Ascent),” a song based on
Psalms 126. Followed by “Let The Earth Awake,” that feels a little too generic. Next is “Ransom,” which has a bit of a
refreshing and enjoyable revival feel to it.
“King of Heaven” was featured on the album “Passion: Awakening” earlier this year. This cut of the song is a minute
shorter, there isn’t a big difference between the two versions, but I enjoyed this one much more. The female vocalist on
BGV’s was a nice touch that makes the song a bit more lively. “Lamp” is a song about inviting God to change you, to guide
you, to “light your path” through His word.
The true gems on the album are “Deeper in Love,” “Breathe,” “Made Me Alive,” and “Sleep and Dreams.”
The piano driven “Deeper in Love” is intimate and simple, it speaks of falling deeper and deeper in love with the father:
“Now I’m up to my toes/I’m up to my ankles/And I’m up to my waist/I’m up to my neck/Deeper, deeper in love with You…”
“Breathe” is a plea to God for Him to breathe on us, and to shine His light on us. “Made Me Alive” is one of those songs
you can have on repeat and love more and more with every play. It’s a song of rebirth, of being made truly alive through
Christ.
The album ends with “Sleep and Dreams,” a beautiful, sweet ballad that evidently started as a prayer for Hall’s children,
but became so much more. It’s a prayer of peace for all children.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, this is a sensational album! I enjoyed it a great deal. It’s exactly what I have come to expect from Charlie Hall and
then some. He never disappoints.
Review Written By: Rebecca Rycross [rebecca.rycross@christianmusicreview.org] on 9/22/2010
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