Today's theme in cMusicMail seems to be about worship. Although we have a
few folk albums and a few rock discs, the most noted ones here are about
worship. To start it off we have a review of Jami Smith's second studio
album, Wash Over Me. I've been enjoying Jami's music for a while now because
of her passion for worshipping God, which is shown through her rough vocals
and powerful songs. Plus, check out this week's new releases, including the
best of David Ruis and a new disc from Tim Hughes.

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WASH OVER ME - JAMI SMITH (2002)
by Hollie Stewart

The first thing that strikes me about Jami Smith is her low, gravelly voice,
similar in sound and style to Rita Springer. Like Springer, when Smith lets
go on the choruses found in Wash Over Me, her passion for worshipping God
shines brilliant. She encapsulates a refreshing honesty in her music. Some
criticize that she sings too low for a woman, but I adore the gritty
expressions of praise in songs like "Only You Satisfy." Her vocals are
scratchy yet beautiful when she cries out, "Open up my heart, Jesus / Open
up my mind, Jesus / Open up my life, Jesus / For only You satisfy." Wash
Over Me has the soothing calm of a slow brook, bubbling simple yet true to
the nature of worship.

I could discuss the beauty of each song, of each river swell, but I'll focus
primarily on two favorites. "You Prepare a Table" soothes me thematically
and musically. Smith takes various Psalms and rearranges them into a
melodic hymn of praise. She sings, "You prepare a table for me / And bless
me in the presence of my enemies / You fill me till my cup overflows / You
restore my soul." Many of the songs, to my delight, incorporate scripture
and scriptural truth, like "Come Ye Sinners," "Come Unto Me," "Beautiful
Lovely Jesus," and "Find a World." I love being able to read a passage from
the Bible and realize I already know it from a lyric in a song.

The strongest cut of the CD is the title track. Here Smith is the most
honest, the guitars are the most pleasant, and the worship leader within her
is the most apparent. This studio recording actually feels live; the
background singers remain steady, allowing Smith to break into spontaneous
praise. While the lyrics remain simple, the simplicity brings a healing
quality to them: "Rain down Your favor on us / Lavish Your love upon us /
Pour out your presence on us / Let me taste Your mercy in the rain / Wash
over me / Wash over me." This is a perfect song for congregational worship.
Yet "Wash Over Me"—and this entire album—would have been even stronger if it
had been recorded live. Then we could have heard an audience sing along
with Smith rather than trained and almost-dry BGVs. Wash Over Me is one of
the most energetic studio worship projects I've heard—"energetic" in the
sense that it doesn't feel pre-programmed. I can only imagine a night of
live music with this musician.

This twelve-song album blends together so well that you can walk away,
return ten minutes later, and think you're still on the same song. I tend
to enjoy worship albums reflecting this quality, but if you grow bored with
such consistency, this album is not for you. However, if you need a new
worship soundtrack for your times with God, Wash Over Me is ideal, and Jami
Smith's voice and heart will work their way into your devotions with
simplistic ease, like water.

Find out more about Jami Smith at her official site:
http://www.jamismith.com/


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AVAILABLE TUESDAY, AUGUST 24 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

PURCHASE THIS MUSIC AND MORE AT GRASSROOTSMUSIC.COM:
http://www.grassrootsmusic.com/?associateid=249

A BETTER PLACE - OVERFLOW
In the vein of bands such as Building 429 and Starfield, Overflow is
Essential Records' pop/rock/worship band. This music will keep you rockin'
and worshippin' at the same time.

EVERLIFE - EVERLIFE
If ZOEgirl going rock wasn't proof enough, Everlife is proof that rock is
the new pop. From the photos, you would totally expect Avalon or Jump5 pop.
But pop this disc in and get ready for lots of crunchy guitars along with
the girls harmonizing.

EVERY MOVE I MAKE - DAVID RUIS
The first in Vineyard Music's "Vineyard Voices" series, this disc features
the best, most-loved songs penned by David Ruis. Songs such as "You Are
Worthy Of My Praise", "Let Your Glory Fall", and the title track are
performed by David Ruis as well as two never-before-heard tracks.

HIDE NOTHING - FURTHER SEEMS FOREVER
The trend of new members with every release continues as Further Seems
Forever gets a new vocalist. This new features some wacky cover art as well
as 10 new rock songs.

HIP HOPE HITS 2005 - VARIOUS
We've had WOW for years and now the X series brings the rock, so now all we
need is HIP HOPe. This disc has 18 tracks full of Christian hip-hop's best:
GRITS, Cross Movement, Ill Harmonics, T-Bone, and many more.

MONK AND NEAGLE - MONK AND NEAGLE
Indie folk youngsters Trent Monk and Michael Neagle found something out on
tour together... they worked really well together. So well, in fact, that
they decided to make their label debut as a duo. Don't expect the usual
Flicker Records hard rock thing, though, for these guys are folkies.

POTTER'S FIELD - 12 STONES
The second disc from Wind-Up's first Christian-market artist finds the band
a bit older and a bit wiser. Fans of their old disc will like this new one
for sure.

TRY - BEBO NORMAN
Although Bebo does not enlist the help of his longtime friend, Ed Cash, this
time around, Try is definitely one of his best albums. Although this is the
PICK OF THE WEEK, it is hard to say if the disc is as good as his previous
works. But that's only because it's all been amazing.

WHEN SILENCE FALLS - TIM HUGHES
If you're like me, you found Tim Hughes' first album, Here I Am To Worship,
a bit lacking besides the title track. The second effort is a different
story. With the production help of renowned producer Nathan Nockels, Hughes
keeps great new worship songs flowing as well as doing an amazing job with
"Holy, Holy" at the end of the disc.

WORSHIP AT RED ROCKS - JOHN TESH
Recently John Tesh has been known for covering worship songs through his
last couple releases. This release captures live worship at the famed Red
Rocks amphitheatre in Colorado. Also available in a DVD flavor too!


Thanks for reading this week's cMusicMail, and we'll be back next week with
even more great content. If you have any comments or questions, please reply
to this e-mail or send them to webmaster@.... We'd love to hear
from you!

Dan Ficker
http://cMusicWeb.com/
a different approach to music
AOL IM - dMusicWeb