What Grace

Description

What Grace is an album by the British singer and songwriter Graham Kendrick, independently released in the UK on Make Way Music in 2001, manufactured under licence, marketed, and distributed by Fierce! Distribution. Released in the US the following year on Furious! Records, distributed by Chordant Distribution. The album was recorded and mixed by Paul Burton with Andy Piercy of After the Fire fame producing.

As surely all but the youngest readers of Cross Rhythms will know, Graham is the most important worship songwriter and leader of the post war years. But as his popularity reached truly unprecedented levels in the ’90s his album output faltered. Where once every release seemed to contain at least one worship song classic destined to circle the globe as it lifted and envisioned the worshipping Church, suddenly his touch seemed to falter as perversely the number of releases increased while his productions became uncomfortable, lumpen exercises in quasi-black gospel. But a few years away from the scene, during which time he wrote The ‘Millennium Prayer’ project, sees him return with an album which is to my ears and heart his finest ever. It’s not simply that producer Andy Piercy (once, like Graham, a Youth For Christ musical evangelist when Ishmael & Andy burnt up the miles in the ’60s) has given Graham’s songs a new, updated sound. It’s the consistent quality of the songwriting here. There’re surely three or four songs destined to impact the Church. And when one hears the spine tingling duet with Martin Smith «Lord You’ve Been Good To Me» over that simple synth bed one has little doubt that thousands of teenagers will be drawn to worship through the maestro’s way with melody and biblical themes. Seldom does one hear an album with the deft musicianship, songwriting craft and Spirit anointing to make it worthy of investigation by a 15 year old as well as a 65 year old Christian. But this tender hearted exploration of the ways and wonder of God’s grace is such an album. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, July 2001]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/what-grace/905221462)

CD tracklist:

01. To You O Lord (feat. Matt Redman)
02. Rock Of Ages
03. I Kneel Down (On The Bloodstained Ground)
04. What Grace (Father To You)
05. To The King Eternal
06. Lord You’ve Been Good To Me (feat. Martin Smith)
07. The Lord Is Present Here
08. Blessed Are The Humble (The Beatitudes)
09. The Spirit Of The Lord
10. Say The Name Of Love
11. Consider It Joy (Though Trials Will Come)
12. Everybody Everywhere

Note: Contains Enhanced Interactive CD-Rom, which includes: 1) A pdf file containing the Sheet Music to the title track “What Grace”. 2) A pdf file containing acetate masters for every song on this release. 3) A video interview with Graham Kendrick. 4) A web hyperlink to the Graham Kendrick website. Re-issued on CD by Make Way Music in 2007, paired with Kendrick’s 2003-album, Do Something Beautiful.

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Graham Kendrick and Martin Smith: Passing Down an Inheritance
by Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms Magazine #62, May 2001

The news that Graham Kendrick is releasing his first worship album since 1997 has created huge interest in the British Church. For three decades Graham has been the single most significant figure in the development of the British Church’s worship music, taking it from the dusty confines of three centuries (and more) of hymnody to spearhead the move towards, user-friendly, pop music-influenced, Scripture-based choruses. In doing so he, more than any other composer, has propelled the contemporary praise and worship out of the narrow confines of the charismatic house churches to become a resource used by just about every strand and tradition of the British Church.

After a veritable flood of albums in the ’80s and ’90s Graham has recently been low in profile save for the American-financed and recorded multi-artist video and album ‘Millennium Chorus’. But still Graham’s tuneful, theologically sound choruses demonstrate their continuing relevance and popularity. In a recent song survey compiled by Christian Copyright Licensing (Europe) Kendrick classics are up there in the listing of the most widely sung choruses in Britain’s churches with «Shine Jesus Shine» (at number 3), «Knowing You», «The Servant King», «Such Love», «Meekness And Majesty», «Rejoice» and «Make Way, Make Way» demonstrating Graham is by far the most widely sung composer in the British Church.