It's hard to believe that Word Records is fifty years old, but it's true. It was in 1950 that Baylor University student Jarrell McCracken recorded "The Game of Life" on vinyl records and made copies for friends who requested them. Since that first project, Word has continued to produce quality music and over time has become the premiere record company in the Christian music space. Celebrating old and new hits over the past five decades, Word Gold is a two-disc compilation that captures a well-rounded sampling of its artists' music. The overall picture is an interesting cross-section of the evolution of contemporary Christian and gospel music, similar to an archeological dig where the various strata represent different time periods of history. All of the songs were released on Word Records or one of its now-defunct sub-labels, Myrrh and DaySpring.
Opening Disc One is a short excerpt of Jarrell McCracken's recording of "The Game of Life," an analogy of the struggle between good and evil in the context of a football game sports broadcast. From there, the tracks follow a reverse chronological order, touching on various tempos and styles, such as Anointed's "Revive Us" sandwiched between "Redeemer" by Nicole C. Mullen and "Breathe" by Sixpence None the Richer. Almost all of the songs on the compilation will be familiar to listeners of Christian radio's adult contemporary and inspirational formats and the few exceptions will be from southern gospel or black gospel. A refreshing, yet very familiar tune that makes the disc is "Oh, How He Loves You And Me," offered by Kurt Kaiser and Wanda Geddie Brickner. It is a very short rendition, but is a reminder of the ministry focus Word has always represented. It also happens to be the most-performed song of all time in the Word Music catalog.
The liner notes offer a glimpse into the history of Word, including the founding of the company and a timeline showcasing the various artists' album covers over the years. Veteran writer/editor Thom Granger compiled a short blurb on each song to put it into its context in the constellation of great music.
Collectors will enjoy the history represented in Word Gold and may find a few new gems to love in the compilation, especially some of the older songs that were around before Christian radio. The overall feel of the project is a reverent yet satisfying reflection on many of the great songs released by this iconic company. Multi-artist compilations have been quite popular in recent years, especially with the success of the WoW series. The similarities are so strong, this collection could be called "WoW, Word sure has made a lot of music in the past fifty years!"
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Bert GanglAs implausible as it may seem in the current era of rapidly-disappearing Christian record labels, Word Records' history winds back some 50 years to its starting point in east central Texas. Word was founded in the spring of 1951 by Jarrell McCracken, a 23 year-old radio sportscaster for Waco's KWTX, and two of McCracken's fellow Baylor University graduates. The label's first release was the 1951…
