Music Monday: Children of God by Phil Wickham

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this product, free of charge,from FairTrade and FlyBy Promotions, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it,  all opinions are my own.


Phil Wickham's new CD is out!

Welcome:
 CHILDREN OF GOD!  


children of god cover

This is Phil's first album since his surgery in 2014, to remove a vocal polyp. He took the time to rest and recover, and as he said, let God help him recover and choose his path. He put his faith and trust in God, and gave it all to Him. His voice came back and he was inspired to write the songs for this album. We were very blessed to see Phil at the 2016 Rock n Worship Roadshow, and to hear him speak of how the surgery literally brought him to his knees. Hearing his story of how 2 weeks after surgery there was literally NO scar tissue was such an inspiration to the entire audience, about how merciful is our God in his grace!

We also got to hear songs from this album, before it was released. Having known Phil from  "This Is Amazing Grace" , his anthem that was recently recognized as the most-sung worship song in the North American church by CCLI! How's that about God's grace?  

Phil is an amazing performer and if you haven't seen him, you MUST!  In fact, when they were working on the arrangements for this album, Phil went with the mindset of "if we were in a stadium with 40,000 people, how would we want to do this? we had to keep asking,,does this feel big enough> Is the feel epic enough? Is it passionate enough" Check out the album and you will know they had a resounding YES to all those questions!

Now let's get to the music!

Tracks:

1. Doxiology- having been raised in the Anglican faith, Miss Grace was thrilled to hear this as the opener for this wonderful CD with the new verse added by Phil, which is perfect!
2. Better Than Life- this is one of the songs that Phil sang at the Roadshow concert and one that the girls immediate caught the chorus for and were singing along with. For Miss Grace, it echoes so much on what she is taught at home and school- to give troubles and all to God, and just LET GOD. It's catchy beat will have you singing along in no time.
3. Your Love Awakens Me- this is the first office single and is destined to be another top worship song! It was also premiered the the Roadshow and hearing it sung by the entire audience was truly amazing and inspiring. 
4. The Secret Place- featuring Madison Cunningham- Miss Grace enjoyed Madison's light etheral ("almost Irish") sound, and it is a perfect compliment to Phil's voice. The orchestration in the song is lovely and helps to elevate the song above the simple premise of God being our shelter. I think teens especially will find it moving and speaking to them.

5. Wide Awake- another upbeat tune that will have you dancing along to it in no time,  but you need to stop and listen to the intense lyrics that really speak of what God offers us, 


phil wickham lyrics

6. My All in All- continuing the upbeat music, this song's chorus line will stay with you: "You are my reason, my all in all, my all in all - My all in all, Jesus, my all in all!" It is perfect for teen worship leaders to use to get teens to understand God is always there for them, if they let Him be. 
7. Starmaker - this song slows the album down a little, and allows Phil's voice to really be showcased with all the nuances of his range. it reminds us how 
God is holy and greater than everything, including the universe. It was amazing to hear this one in concert.It delivers drama and faith!

8. Children of God- this one instantly had all the kids up and jumping and singing along! You can't help to with the chorus:  "We are believers, all our hope in the risen One! We are soldiers, we're fighting with faith and love! And we are pilgrims, on a journey to reach out home! Standing together, we are the children of God!" It definitely had the stadium crowd standing together as one! 
9. Stand in Awe - keeping the pace a bit slower, this song is great for services, as it will tie in with many sermons of how Great God is.
10. Body Mind & Soul- the album kicks back into high gear with this song, and ti is sure to have your feet tapping! It brings to mind an 'anthem' song, and Miss Grace was singing the chorus over and over after hearing it! I could imagine kids adapting it for VBS use this Summer!
11. As It Is In Heaven- after the previous anthem song comes this more introspective song. The beautiful lyrics easily lend it to being a spotlight choral piece for worship services. as a way to bring home a sermon to the worshipers.
12. Spirit of God - The last song on the album continues the slower pace, winding down the listen from the highs of the middle of the album. YET, it also features some of the more moving guitar solos! It is enough to call down the spirit-  "We long for You, call upon Your Name, Spirit of God, have Your way!" and to leave you uplifted!



This is an amazing album, one that you, and your kids, can equally enjoy, and we can't recommend it enough! Do not miss this amazing artist! If you've never heard his music before, be sure to give it a listen, Phil can change your mind about what you think 'Christian' music is! And if you have the chance, you MUST hear these songs as Phil meant them to be heard- in concert with thousands singing them!


phil wickham


About Phil:


Born into a musical family (his parents John and Lisa, are former members of the Christian band, Parable), Phil's earliest years were spent surrounded by Christian music. With his parents encouraging him, he learned all of the popular worship songs and then started writing his own. That led to him leading worship for his youth group when he was only 12! At 18, he recorded an independent project,and attracted record labels. Ten years and nine records later, he got his first Number 1 single with This is Amazing Grace, which held the spot on Billboard's national Christian Audience Chart for 13 consecutive weeks!  It was then named Billboard's 2014 No 1 Christian Airplay Song of the Year, and BMI's 2015 Christian Song of the Year! Helping him celebrate was his wife, and 2 children. We can't wait to see what this new CD can do on the charts too! 


Video:

 Now how about checking out the lead single, Your Love Amazes Me video? 





Purchase the Album:

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/PW-COGiTunes



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