Jeff Schneeweis - Closer

We have an idea in America of what worship music should be. There was a lot made two years ago about Gungor's Ghost Upon The Earth  being "creative" for worship music. Mars Hill started their own label to try and break through the creative rut that is worship music. I've even heard people talk about the new Hillsong United record as being too artsy for congregations. It appears that artists are not happy with just presenting worship that's been before to the Lord.

Number One Gun and The Make front-man Jeff Schneeweis might have released my favorite worship album since The Insyderz released Skalleluia.

Schneeweis set out to make an 80's new wave worship album and he successfully accomplished that feat. Closer is dancey and fun. If you didn't know it was a worship album, it would probably find a place as one of Pitchfork's best of the year. But the lyrics strike me as honest worship lyrics. It's easy to fall into how great Closer is musically and overlook the heart behind the project. But overlooking the lyrics and heart is to overlook the point of the record.

Follow As You Lead is a great declaration of following God's Spirit. The song is upbeat and will get your body shaking. It's worship music that disarms anyone with preconceived notions of what worship is. The music grabs your attention and gets you into Closer. It breaks down this notion that worship music is one thing and not another. Schneeweis has created something outside the box and it's exactly what worship music needs.

Musically, Closer catchy, upbeat, and moving. But it's in Schneeweis' lyrics that the heart of the record lie. There's a heartfelt outpouring of worship and adoration for God would be easy to overlook in the musical landscape of the record.

I highly recommend picking up this ep!