All Around the World isn't exactly "east meets west," but it's the next best thing to the concept of a worldwide praise and worship project, a double entendre to a U.K. meets U.S.. Put Matt Redman, Paul Oakley and fellow British artists Tim Hughes and Neil Wilson in the studio with former SONICFLOOd (from the U.S.) members Jason Halbert and Dwayne Larring as producers, and the results are very good for modern praise and worship. For a quick primer to whether or not you should add this recording to your collection of praise and worship offerings, put "Holy Moment" from Matt Redman's The Father's Song in your player. Replicate the same step for "These Hands" by Jeff Deyo from the Max Lucado audio project, He Chose the Nails. Did you like the results? If so, All Around the World is cut from the same cloth. If you are strictly a follower of Redman and Oakley's live, non-studio produced Worship Together: Revival Generation projects, you will probably prefer those live projects to the slick, nicely-produced All Around the World.
My only problem with this project is that it falls prey to the same trend as many other praise and worship projects: canned strings. All Around the World falls prey to this trend. The string arrangements are truly out of place on this particular project, which is otherwise flawless. There are perfect re-recordings of "I Will Always Love Your Name," "Because of You," and Redman's "Holy Moment," which this project dubs the "rhythmic" remix. "Beautiful Savior" ("All My Days") is a beautiful reading, but its musical arrangement lacks the beauty of the Worship Together: Let Your Glory Fall rendition because of the string arrangement, which is sour. I prefer the worshipful original to this new recording. The introduction to "Lord Let Your Glory Fall" mirrors the intro to the Newsboys' "Entertaining Angels" so closely that I actually laughed.
Other than these shortfalls, it's all uphill from there. It rocks! Often relying on a Beatles-esque and/or Buddy Holly sounds, it has the best version of "Because of You" I've ever heard. The kick-off track, "Jesus, You Alone" begins with a heavy drum-roll that will awake the tone-deaf. Redman and Oakley take a SONICFLOOd approach with the aforementioned song, as well as "Through the Veil" and "Be Glorified." The title track is techno-pop, flirting slightly with what we might hear from Joy Electric.
The most heart-wrenching track from this project is Oakley's "Can a Nation Be Changed," the final song, featuring acoustic guitars and vocals. Remember the days when we older folks used to sit around with our youth group(s) in worship, singing with the guitarists? Listen. It's worth the price of admission.
The bottom line: the lyrics for each of these praise and worship songs are rock-solid. Expect nothing less from Redman and Oakley. I heartily recommend the re-recordings of our favorites for personal and/or youth group praise and worship. With the help of Halbert and Larring, All Around the World is an excellent studio project, one of the best individual and group projects from Redman and Oakley. I'd like to see a follow-up recording from the same team that tightens up the loose ends (ditch the strings and keep the roots of rock and roll intact). This praise and worship project is well worth a listen but short of what it should be as a classic recording.
3.5 tocks
More from Matt Redman
1997The Friendship And The Fear
2005Blessed Be Your Name: Songs of Matt Redman Volume I
2004Facedown
2002Where Angels Fear To Tread
1998Intimacy
2000The Father's Song
