This past decade has seen the musicality of congregational worship move forwards in leaps and bounds. It only makes sense - if we really are created in the image of the divine Creator, our expressions of praise should be divinely creative. C3 Church (previous known as CCC), have been one of the key pioneers in engineering such fresh sounds.
Their newest release, 'Send Down Your Love', hails the return of C3's vibrant energy. The title track is one of the album's strongest, with pounding drums providing the foundation for a constantly moving musical landscape. Other highlights include 'My Best Life' and 'Not Afraid' which both contain catchy melodies, uplifting choruses and nicely polished instrumentation.
Since C3's last worship album (2008's 'For Your Glory') was a studio venture, you'll find it refreshing to once again have a congregation invade your bedroom as you worship. Also, the eight tracks contain some brilliantly crafted lyrics - displaying how congregational writers can introduce flare to their ideas without becoming too vague or confusing.
Tracks such as 'Greatest Love', 'Here and Now' and 'Beauty For Ashes', however, feel too familiar from beginning to end, with the same warm pad intros and digitally delayed guitar riffs we've heard before. Here, C3 fall into the habit of recycling the musical stylings of U2 and Coldplay, a prevalent problem amongst contemporary Christian artists.
Put these minor setbacks aside, and 'Send Down Your Love' quickly becomes a gem of a worship album. It contains enough of 'Noughties' C3 to edify longtime listeners, yet enough innovative material to excite us about the next decade of congregational worship.
Review by Nishan V
Standout Tracks:
- 'Send Down Your Love' - If you like arena rock, this track has all the epic drumming, explosive vocals and fat guitar you could ever desire.
- 'Not Afraid' - Upbeat, joyful and encouraging without being sugary. Superbly arranged. The lead singer channels Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon) in the bridge, which could be good or bad, depending on who you are!