Chris Tomlin

During the opener (“Sing, Sing, Sing”) to Chris Tomlin’s Hello Love disc, Tomlin asks, “What’s not to love about you? / Heaven and earth adore you.” It’s an obvious question/statement, I know, but Tomlin states this rhetorical query with such enthusiasm, it’s impossible not to join in and sing, sing, sing right along with him. And this same enthusiasm is retained throughout most of Tomlin’s excellent new worship CD.

“Sing, Sing, Sing”, like “God of This City”, will already be familiar to those that purchased God of This City, the most recent Passion release. Both of these tracks are also highlights of the new one; but there is more, so much more. Of particular merit is “You Lifted Me Out”, which includes a big, power chord chorus-intro and a great ‘Wo-oh-oh-oh’ chorus. “Now I am free / Your love rescued me / Now it’s the anthem I’m singing,” Tomlin proclaims. That same surging guitar style also helps make “With Me” a large ‘n mighty delight. On a sonic level, “My Deliverer” also stands out from the rest, although not at all for it’s guitar parts. The wonderfully sweeping, opening strings – this song’s cool element of surprise — are not at all the variety some might term “sweetening”, oh no. They are instead, active, aggressive, integral elements in the song.

In a few places, Tomlin mixes a little sound theology in with his praise music. The ballad, “Jesus Messiah”, for instance, focuses on Jesus’ various names which serve to describe His character. And in what plays out like a hymn, Tomlin paraphrases The Doxology with “Praise the Father, Praise the Son.” Also, “My Deliverer” quotes the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. Speaking of hymns, closer, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me” is a quietly, acoustic take on the old Fanny Crosby chestnut. By the way, Crosby is a fine mentor for modern songwriters to learn from. Contemporaries really ought to study her well.

One of Tomlin’s better ballads is “I Will Rise”, which includes this great lyric: “Jesus has overcome / And the grave is overwhelmed.” The word “overwhelmed” perfectly fits what Christ has done for us on the cross. This overwhelming Godly power gives Tomlin both peace and hope, and Tomlin sings it’s trustful and optimistic lyric over a piano and string accompaniment. Toward the track’s end, it goes into a louder choir section where the following refrain is heard: “And I hear the voice of many angels sing / Worthy is the Lamb.”

The song “Love” offers some of this project’s more adventurous moments. With consistent mandolin accompaniment, Tomlin sings the verses solo. Except when he gets to the chorus, he’s joined but what sounds like an African children’s choir. In its lyric, God’s love is described as an active word – God’s actions intervening in the lives of mankind. At one point during the song, Tomlin sings: “Love is the answer / Love will find the way / When we love one another it’s a brighter day.” And these words, my friends, are far more powerful than The Beatles’ empty “All we need is love.” As Larry Norman once astutely observed, “The Beatles said, “All we need is love,” and then they broke up.” Apparently, that love can supposedly end a war, but can’t keep a simple, four-piece pop group together. Strange!

It seems an easy mistake for praise and worship artists to make, to slip into musical simplicity. After all, many of these songs – sometimes labeled choruses — are written for the specific, sole purpose of corporate worship. Thus, Tomlin deserves kudos here for making sing-along-able songs, which also offer challenging sonics. In addition to being a set of songs that will fit in the church worship setting, Hello Love also works as headphone music.

But as good as the musicianship around Tomlin is it would not be nearly as compelling if the artist wasn’t also a passionate and excellent singer. While his contemporary, David Crowder, is a better songwriter, Tomlin is the far better vocalist of the two. Whereas Crowder often sounds breathless, sometimes struggling to give his songs the sort of breath support they deserve, one finds no such vocal shortfalls on Tomlin recordings.

Memorable songs, matched with innovative music, make Hello Love one exemplary aural salutation.

Tagged as: Chris Tomlin, Hello Love, Passion

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