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Product Details

Release Date:	2009-11-17
Category:	Audio CD
Label/Manufacturer:	Reunion
UPC:	602341013529

Product Description

Amid nearly 4.5 million career album sales, numerous awards and consistent chart topping radio success in an unprecedented six year span, Casting Crowns' lead singer and songwriter Mark Hall has never strayed from the group's main purpose:'Present disciple-ship through music'. The result with each new song collection is a fresh, relevant perspective on our life journey. It's this unwavering pursuit that has inspired Casting Crowns' latest release,Until the Whole World Hears, an offering of encouragement,challenge,hope and truth to a world in need.

Product Features

Customer Reviews

Rated

on 2010-09-04

Really loved this cd. I also really love casting crowns so it was definately a great purchase for me. I love all their music and their style

Rated

on 2010-08-25

Casting Crowns has always been known more as a discipleship type of Christian band rather than a praise band. They are youth pastors at heart, and were always better known for songs like "If We Are the Body," "Does Anybody Hear Her," and "What This World Needs," which exist to better the lives of other Christians and teach them where their mindsets could be better. They have never really been known for their songs of praise, such as "Praise You With the Dance," "Father, Spirit, Jesus," "In Me," "I Know You're There," and "All Because of Jesus." But with this album, that streak ends now. The title of this album might lead you to believe that this is yet another discipleship album, with songs encouraging us to be witnesses, but this is not the case. This is actually a whole CD of almost nothing but praise music... wonderful, wonderful praise music!

This is the kind of CD that, after the first time through to learn the melodies, will have you constantly lifting your hands in the air to just spend a great 50-minute worship time with God. Admittedly, there really aren't any huge smash hits on this CD like "Who Am I" or "East to West," but because it is so praise-based, this is an album that you will want to listen to over and over again because it is all so spiritually uplifting. So don't expect the typical Casting Crowns here, because this album is definitely something a bit different. I absolutely loved it, and I plan to listen to this CD many, many more times when I want to just let go and spend a great time praising God.

The sound of this album is much more acoustic than Crowns' previous albums, with much more of a focus on strings and piano than on a rock-type sound with electric guitars and beating drums. But IMO, this is just the spirit that was necessary for a praise album such as this. The spirit of a rock song is more of a motivational battle cry, a "rise up and make a change" type of feeling, while the spirit of acoustic instruments in this album makes it feel like you as a listener are pausing to just sing to God for a while, meditating on His greatness and all that He has done. IMO, it is just what was needed. Add in melodies that are just as good as ever, and Casting Crowns has done it yet again.

Also, I have to mention, you are really missing something if you don't go onto Casting Crowns' Youtube channel and watch the companion videos for this album, both the meanings of the songs as well as how exactly to live your life until the whole world hears. Mark Hall and co are still youth pastors at heart, and they have some really great messages to go with it.

Anyway, here's what I thought about each song:

1. "Until the Whole World Hears" - 9.5/10
This song plays out like a giant battle cry, with an appropriate pulsing guitar-based sound. It reminds us that our goal in this life is to sing and praise God until the whole world hears the joyful sound. It is a call to action, which will make you yourself want to get up and sing until the whole world hears. This isn't one of the CD's better melodies, but it's so motivating, and has really good rock backgrounds with its great guitar riff and driving instruments.

2. "If We've Ever Needed You" - 10/10
This song is so raw, so heartfelt, so desperate in its cry, and so timely and necessary, that I think everybody in this whole country should sing it. This is a prayer. Plain and simple. It is exactly what the Bible said to do to heal this land... to confess the sins of our country, and to beg the Lord to come and make a difference both in our lives as well as the lives of everyone here. The melody is fantastic, but it is really the rawness and truth and heart in this song that sets it apart. This is also a great example of the kind of album that this is. It starts slow, with a basic piano melody in the background as Mark slowly begins the prayer, and then at the chorus, the guitars kick in, and it reaches an emotional climax as if the instruments themselves are crying out. Overall, an amazing song!

3. "Always Enough" - 9.5/10
Easily among Casting Crowns best purely-praise songs, "Always Enough" wins my award for the best melody on this CD. It is just a great uplifting praise song to thank God for being peace to the broken, faith for the widow, hope for the orphan, and strength for the weak. That even if we have nothing at all, God is enough for us. And this is a worthy thing to praise Him for. This is a fantastic hand-raising praise song of thanksgiving.

4. "Joyful, Joyful" - 6.5/10
It's not that I disliked this song, it's just that it didn't quite do what it was supposed to. The goal of this song was to take a song that we have all heard a million times, Beethoven's "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee," and set it to new music in order to make us pay more attention to the lyrics rather than just falling into idle-singing mode. But IMO, it really didn't do a very good job. First of all, it still sounded too much like the original. Secondly, the new melody was so driving and pulse-driven that it still didn't highlight the lyrics. And thirdly, the new melody really wasn't that great. Casting Crowns did a great job doing this lyric-highlighting in the past with "While You Were Sleeping" and "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," but this wasn't one of them. It's still quite listenable, but just forgettable.

5. "At Your Feet" - 10+/10
What a beautiful, beautiful song! The opening piano notes are so haunting and comforting, and leads into a whole song about the unbelievable peace and hope and strength to be found when we lay ourselves at Jesus' feet. Mark Hall said that this song was in essence a musical version of what we do at salvation... how we lay down our past, our future, and our whole lives down to Him, and how we instantly find a lifetime of peace and hope that makes us never want to leave His side. And although it wasn't included in the attached verses, it really reminded me of the story of the sinful woman that sat at Jesus' feet and anointed them with alabaster, and washed them with her own tears. That is what I felt like doing after hearing this song. It is so deeply moving and lovely. This is easily my favorite song of the CD.

6. "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" - 9/10
This is a great song to just lift your hands and thank God for what He did. The song is a straight-up praise song about how Jesus came to save those in darkness, how He rose, and how He is coming again... oh glorious day! A great melody to go with it makes this a great praise song.

7. "Holy One" - 7/10
This song is completely different from the rest of the CD, and is a nice change of pace. It is very much a rock song, with a big guitar riff to kick it off, and a fast, driving beat behind it. As a pure rock song, it's a good head-bopper, but has a very generic "praise the holy one" message, and a not-very-catchy melody, which makes it one of my least-favorite on the album.

8. "To Know You" - 8/10
I really like this song. It has a catchy chorus, and uplifting instrumentation that will make you want to lift your hands and seek to know God more. The only thing that holds this song down is that its lyrics feel more like a list sometimes than a song with a strong central focus, and the stereotypical pop-song-pregression where it goes "verse, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, alternate verse, chorus, ending." So it's good, and I still love singing along with it, but it's not a stand-out.

9. "Mercy" - 8.5/10
Another great song of pure thanksgiving, thanking God for saving us, and making us whole, and calling us as His own. Thanking God is always a great reason for making a song in my books, as Jesus spent a great amount of time commending those who were thankful for what He did. Plus the melody is quite good, and the instruments capture the lifting-hands spirit of such a song perfectly. Overall, a great praise song.

10. "Jesus Hold Me Now" - 6/10
Meh... easily my least-favorite on this CD. This song is basically the exact same words as the song "Prodigal" from Casting Crowns' second CD, Lifesong. Although that song was very acoustic and raw-emotion feeling, and focused very well on the shameful feeling that one feels when having to crawl back to God after screwing up big time. The original chorus was "Daddy, here I am, will you take me back tonight?... I dragged your name back through the mud that you first found me in. Not worthy to be called your son, is this to be my end?" While this new version substitutes this raw emotion for a rock sound which feels shallower, with the Prodigal in question basically saying "I feel like crap. Please hold me. Let me know you're still there." My main issue is the change in musical style. The shift from acoustic guitar to electric guitar and drums just takes away the rawness and sincerity of the original, and makes it feel like someone going about their life is idly asking for comfort. Plus the melody in general is far worse, and completely unmemorable. It's not bad, just unmemorable and mediocre.

11. "Blessed Redeemer" - 8.5/10
A very sad meditation on the morning that Christ was crucified. This song really makes you want to thank Him for all that He endured for us, and has really raw and heartfelt lyrics and music, as if the voices and instruments are crying out in praise and sadness. An emotional end to a great album.

12. "Shadow of Your Wings" - 8.5/10
It's really amusing to hear a straight-up rocker from Casting Crowns. It's not really message-oriented, but is just great fun.

AVERAGE SCORE: 8.5/10
ALBUM SCORE: 4.5/5

Rated

on 2010-08-19

This group is from Atlanta! Now I know why I know I love their music! I will definitely buy their next CD out in August. There is a song on this cd that I sung as a young child,"Living He Loved Me", and it brings back so many memories so of course I love it!

Rated

on 2010-07-06

This another great CD form Casting Crowns! Uplifting and inspiring. None of the songs on this CD have the short sections of just speaking which some people don't really like. It's just awesome!

Rated

on 2010-06-01

It came in good condition and fast delivery. I love the CD. Will buy from seller again. Karlene B

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