Description
Our Hymns is a multi-artist album project released on Word Records in 1989, distributed by Epic Records, a division of Sony Music. Two related compilations entitled Our Christmas and Our Family were released in 1990 and 1993 respectively.
Somewhere deep in the bosom of Word Records, a light bulb must’ve gone on over someone’s head one day, accompanied by this thought – “Hey, let’s have a bunch of our artists do traditional hymns of the Church in contemporary settings.” Not exactly an original idea, but it has a twist. ‘Our Hymns’ is about one-half great ideas, and one-half nice tries that don’t quite pan out.
In fairness, the buzz about ‘Our Hymns’ have been building to a near fever pitch for several months. Sneak previews of the unfinished tape found industry insiders raving about the project, to the point where it was bound to disappoint a little. When it works, the results equal or surpass the artists’ own material. And when it doesn’t work – well, let’s just say the results are average, and leave it at that.
The opening hymn, «Holy, Holy, Holy», interpreted by Michael W. Smith, misses the chance to imbue the piece with the same excitement he brings to his own compositions, instead opting for an overly-reverent treatment, in which he’s outsung by his choir and background vocalists. Amy Grant‘s stripped down take on «Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus» is rendered in a lovely acoustic setting, sounding as if it could’ve been liftet from the ‘Lead Me On‘ sessions. It’s a true delight, and perhaps the tape’s best example of fitting a classic to one’s own style without losing the flavor of the original.
Bruce Carroll and Kim Boyce contribute «More Love to Thee» and «I Must Tell Jesus», respectively. Carroll’s honey-tinged voice is reminiscent of Bob Bennett‘s, and he tackles his selection with a subdued, folk-tingled approach. While Boyce has used a more serious delivery in singing her own tunes, here her voice doesn’t seem to carry the emotional weight needed to pull of this track. Russ Taff, on the other hand, was born to sing his song. His soulful interpretation of «Near the Cross» sounds as if it could have been liftet from Ray Charles’ ‘Mordern Sounds in Country Music’. It’s a flawless blend of blues and gospel.
The second side opens with Phil Keaggy‘s medley of Bach’s «Bouree» and «O God Our Help In Ages Past»; again, a superb marriage of material and artist. It fits snugly between Phil’s classic ‘Master and the Musician‘ sound and his more recent ‘Wind and the Wheat‘. You get an excellent vocal and some serious guitar soloing. First Call follows with «O Sacred Head Now Wounded», which starts with some eerie sound effects and an ethereal a cappella delivery of the first verse. Alas it dissolves into a pedestrian pop tune after that, with distracting drum machine and keyboard overdubs. Next comes Wayne Watson performing «It Is Well With My Soul». You might expect a guy with Watson’s pipes to take the easy way out and showboat, a la George Beverly Shea. Watson instead does a surprisingly effective pop-oriented turn, with a gentle synth and percussion underpinning. Take 6 seems to have carved out a niche for itself building on the foundation of vocal masters as The Four Freshman, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross and the Singers Unlimited. The sextet applies its patent human percussion and seamless harmonies to «The Savior Is Waiting». The tape closes with Petra‘s near-metallic rendition of «Onward Christian Soldiers». It’s completely consistent with the band’s image of challenging young people to join God’s army, and vocalist John Schlitt handles the lyrics with great gusto.
It’s encouraging when artists can display another side of their personalities on projects such as ‘Our Hymns’. And for a generation that could stand to rediscover these classics of the faith, perhaps having them done “our way” will make their timeless messages seem more relevant than ever. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, October 1989]
Okay, we loved the idea of the Christmas albums, where Christian pop artists re-cut their favorite Christmas tune in their own style. Everybody listens to Christmas music for at least a while in December (see our Christmas reviews), but redoing of the old hymns of the church has to do a little more to raise our interest. At least a little more than they did when they made ‘Our Hymns’. See, one of the problems with redoing standards is whether or not you’re going to give heed to the original arrangement or are you going to make something altogether different and personal with it. While most of the artists here play it safe, as did Petra on ‘Petra Praise; The Rock Cries Out‘, it’s those artists – like Amy Grant, Russ Taff, Phil Keaggy and Take 6 – that stepped out to do something fresh that give us the most appealing songs. As it is Michael W. Smith continues to show us just how traditional his tastes really are, while continuing to ignore all the evidence that would suggest that he’s a wimpy vocalist. Bruce Carroll, Kim Boyce, and Wayne Watson do a fine, if unexceptional job, and First Call, arranged by Smith, disappoint simply because we know they’re capable of doing the Take 6/Manhattan Transfer jazz thing so well and they don’t bother to work up a sweat. And, finally, Petra doing «Onward Christian Soldiers»; who’s burst of inspiration was this? I mean, really. [Brian Q. Newcomb, Harvest Rock Syndicate, No. 4, 1989 (Volume 4)]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/our-hymns/id1045730972)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. Michael W. Smith – “Holy, Holy, Holy” – 4:57
A2. Amy Grant – “‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus” – 4:05
A3. Bruce Carroll – “More Love To Thee” – 3:22
A4. Kim Boyce – “I Must Tell Jesus” – 3:52
A5. Russ Taff – “Near The Cross” / “My Jesus I Love Thee” / “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” – 5:04
Side Two
B1. Phil Keaggy – Prelude: “Bach’s Bourree” / “O God, Our Help In Ages Past” – 7:02
B2. First Call – “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” – 5:12
B3. Wayne Watson – “It Is Well With My Soul” – 4:37
B4. Take 6 – “The Savior Is Waiting” – 4:09
B5. Petra – “Onward Christian Soldiers” – 3:48
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by Word Records.
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