GENRE: CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP
LABEL: INDEPENDENT
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 28, 2007
RATING: 4 OUT OF 5
Nutshell Version:
Ryland Russell’s independent worship release, Waking Up To Dream is good stuff. In an overcrowded worship market full of David Crowder clones, it’s nice to hear something a bit different. What we have here is a more contemplative worship album in the vein of such artists as Jeremy Camp or Darrell Evans. Ryland Russell has done something that so many independent artists fail to do when they put out a worship album—connect with the listener while connecting the listener to God. I’m not sure if Russell will make it out of the indie swimming pool, but I know his music deserves to be heard by a much wider audience. Waking Up To Dream is a solid effort by an artist who has yielded his craft to God without sacrificing quality.
Full Version:
I’ve tried writing this review so many times. Actually, I succeeded once, but then I dropped my laptop and broke the hard drive. So, I was back to square one. So….here goes nothing.
Ryland Russell’s independent worship release, Waking Up To Dream is good stuff. In an overcrowded worship market full of David Crowder clones, it’s nice to hear something a bit different. What we have here is a more contemplative worship album in the vein of such artists as Jeremy Camp or Darrell Evans. This is the album’s greatest strength and its greatest liability. It’s not novel, but it’s not like everything else, either. Unfortunately, most people are clamoring for worship from groups like David Crowder and/or Hillsong. That’s why the clones are so successful (though, admittedly less popular). Be that as it may, I really like Ryland Russell’s album and hope more people will pick it up.
Title track “Waking Up To Dream” starts off the album with a whimsical guitar track that slowly builds into a crashing cacophony of sound before Russell’s vocals break through the din. He sings/prays, “Open up my eyes to see miracles again/Oh to find relief in the palm of Your Hand/It’s hard not to believe/When you’ve raised the dead in me/I’m waking up to dream…” The lyrics aren’t exactly all that poetic depthwise), but they’re theologically potent enough and serve as a great reminder that God is performing miracles everyday if we would but have eyes to see. “Anthem” is a straight-ahead rocking track, but it’s kind of a throwback to late 90’s worship that is still popular in contemporary worship services of baby boomers today. “A Thousand Singing” is easily the best track on the whole album. Starting out with “Hymn #126” (“O, For A Thousand Tongues” in classic hymnals), a congregation sings the traditional tune before Russell lightly and longingly belts out the lyrics to his new rendition of the song. I can’t communicate just how much I love this track. Other strong offerings include “Walk This road,” with it’s moody, bluesy feel, and the ballad “Belief,” which closes out the album.
There are a few pieces I wasn’t all that fond of, though. I really wasn’t a fan of “You Are Love.” Ryland does some stuff with his voice here that doesn’t quite fit the rest of the album. While it is certainly within his range, he takes on more of a gruff, guttural sound that detracts from the rest of the album. “Beautiful” and “Made Me Whole” would be a lot better if the didn’t sound almost identical (at least, in the beginning).
Ryland Russell has done something that so many independent artists fail to do when they put out a worship album—connect with the listener while connecting the listener to God. I’m not sure if Russell will make it out of the indie swimming pool, but I know his music deserves to be heard by a much wider audience. Waking Up To Dream is a solid effort by an artist who has yielded his craft to God without sacrificing quality.
Waking Up To Dream is available for purchase on iTunes and through www.rylandrussell.com.
I certainly agree with the album review. Kudos to Ryland for taking the time, making the effort, spending the cash etc. to make this project a success. Unfortunately lables like to milk a formula for selling records and you get almost no credit for being creative or being in touch with making Worship music a real experience for the listener. It would be a shame if a mainstream label never gives this artist a real opportunity because he’s not a Tomlin/Crowder Clone. Either artist could do no better than “A Thousand Singing” in song quality. That song “speaks” to me and I love it!
This really is a very good album. I downloaded it after hearing some sound clips on the website. In a world of Indies that wantabee but simply can’t be there/get there (for whatever reason) this is one of the freshest, coolest sounding group of songs I have heard in a while. I just don’t know where you label this music. The best songs are the least like the mainstream KLove format. It’s too bad that corporate run radio stations will not take a small chance on an album like this. Too much cookie cutter music these days. New artists seldom break through because of unwillingness to go away from the tried and true fomula for making a buck. What a crappy system. It’s enough to make an Artist stay indie!