Hello Love. Hello Great Album.

There is a formula for making a worship album. All the top worship artists have succumbed to this formula. Maybe it’s the producer, maybe it’s the artist, maybe it’s the consumer, but most every worship album that comes out of Nashville, TN has this mould that any songs can fit into (worship leaders & musicians know it as "I, V, Ch, V2, Ch, Br, Ch, O"). As repetitive as it is, it works. In my opinion, Chris Tomlin is one of the guiltiest (word?) for it. And, he's made yet another fantastic album using this familiar formula called "Hello Love". Except, there’s a catch…



“Hello Love” is the familiar Tomlin we all love and hear. Congregationally friendly songs that have accessible lyrics, catchy hooks, and singable melodies. Ed Cash (the genius behind most contemporary worship albums these days, IMO) has again captured Tomlin’s penchant for church-songwriting. But, where’s the catch? I find that there’re some songs on this record that go beyond (rather, go back) the formulaic approach of worship music. While songs like “Sing, Sing, Sing”, “God Almighty”, and “My Deliverer” stick to the familiar structures, there’re songs that have a very hymn-like feel to them. The songs “Exalted”, “Praise the Father, Praise the Son”, and “All the Way my Savior Leads Me” (a rendition of an old hymn) all have this traditional vibe to them as if they were written by the Wesley brothers, Isaac Watts, or Fanny Crosby. Growing up Nazarene, and having heard a large portion of hymns in my early church experience, I’ve grown quite fond of the spiritual depth and melody of the hymns. I think it’s important for every church to pay homage to the hymnody regularly; where would the state of worship music be without them? But I digress…

I find that Tomlin really delved backed into traditional song-writer with a few of the songs on this record and for that he must be commended. Even his lead single, “Jesus Messiah”, has a traditional vibe to it. Though it follows above formula, lyrically and theologically the song has a touch of 19th century to it. Although many worship artists are revamping hymns these days, not many original songs have this hymnody-feel to them.

Even without these few old school/new school songs on the record, the album is (IMO) Tomlin’s best work. Production is great (Ed Cash will always be "the" worship-album guy) though there're some mixing choices I would have changed. The songs are so accessible to both church and listener (old and new). All in all, it’s a great record I recommend picking up even though it’s the same-old Tomlin/Redman/Starfield/Hughes/Crowder/etc , but with a few gems that take you back.