Beautiful Wounds

Sounds like … early '90s CCM, with nods to 4Him, Steven Curtis Chapman, Wayne Watson, and Maranatha! worship.At a glance … save for a few winners, the bulk of Beautiful Wounds sounds more like an assortment of adult contemporary relics than a modern worship display.Track Listing Revival Don't Let Me Miss the Mountains Beautiful Wounds One and Only One Immeasurable Still Our God Is Still Alive The Worship You Are Worthy Of All My Times Worshiper of You My Heart Belongs to You Glorify Your Name

Since launching its Spring Hill Worship division, Spring Hill Music has had a field day releasing vertically-themed albums aimed at introducing new songs for the church. Beautiful Wounds is the fourth such album, and it's not too dissimilar from its hit-and-miss predecessors. Once again, producers call on a bevy of no-name vocalists to deliver passionate renditions of new originals, most of which were written by Joe Beck, Carl Cartee, Rick Cua, and other lesser known writers.

The title may give the impression that the songs follow a specific theme, but they aren't really centered on any particular topic. Instead, it's a compilation of standard expressions of praise and worship, done in a style that doesn't necessarily lend itself to be replicated at church. "Revival," for example, is a thunderous call for spiritual revolution, but Charity Von's expansive range is out of the question for most people. This performance-based attitude immediately robs Beautiful Wounds of its intended congregational value, as very few people can really belt it like the skilled singers captured on tape.

Another reason to nitpick is the implementation. While the title track and "Still" function marvelously as intimate songs of reflection, everything else sounds like it was taken from a '90s CCM time capsule. I heard traces of early 4Him or Phillips, Craig & Dean ("Our God Is Still Alive"), Steven Curtis Chapman ("Worshiper of You," "Don't Let Me Miss the Mountains"), Susan Ashton ("All My Times"), and even Wayne Watson ("Glorify Your Name") throughout the project.

Wait a second … that was Wayne Watson in "Glorify Your Name," further accentuating my point that this works an AC-friendly blast from the past, but as a worship album, it falls short.