X Worship 2006

Sounds like … some of the biggest names in Christian rock, hard rock, and emo performing their most worshipful materialAt a glance … a lot of these songs are several years old, featured on other recordings, but it's still an enjoyable collection of original expressions of worshipTrack Listing My Glorious—Delirious Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape—Underoath Spirit—Switchfoot Breathe You In—Thousand Foot Krutch I Am Understood?—Relient K Everything About You—Sanctus Real Release the Deep—Telecast Finding Who We Are—Kutless I Wait for the Lord—Jeremy Camp Do Not Move—David Crowder Band Redemption Passion Glory—Dizmas Mathias Replaces Judas—Showbread In the Burning—Something Like Silas When All We Have Is Taken—Edison Glass Laid to Rest—The Showdown

Due to the growing popularity and diversity of Christian music, the X series launched in 2003, meeting the demand for a rock compilation falling outside the scope of the tamer WoW series. And just as the WoW brand has branched off into WoW Worship, WoW Gospel, and others, the X series now gets its own brand extension with X Worship 2006.

Before you judge this as mere "product," it's fair to point out that this isn't just another worship compilation. At a time when most worship anthologies rely on predictable, rehashed covers, it's refreshing to find an album that completely relies on original expressions of worship by several of today's most popular bands. There's just something endearing about a praise collection that includes Underoath's hardcore anthem "Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape" and Switchfoot's alt-pop rarity "Spirit" (from 2000's Listen Louder). Neither is a peppy, congregational number, but both are very much worship songs.

As with previous X albums, the artists on this compilation are all from EMI labels. You'll find the usual rock suspects (Kutless, Delirious, Jeremy Camp, Relient K), as well as less expected newcomers (Telecast, Dizmas, The Showdown), and it's the latter group that provides the collection's most pleasant surprises. Something Like Silas ("In the Burning"), David Crowder Band ("Do Not Move"), and Underoath's aforementioned track all stand out as refreshing displays of fervency for God.

Granted, X Worship 2006 doesn't offer much that's exclusive or new for fans of Christian rock, but that's never been the purpose of the X or WoW series. This disc could have been a lot more predictable, but instead, it does the trick for those looking for vertically focused songs with a sharper edge.