OLD CHURCH BASEMENT – ALBUM REVIEW

When the “Old Church Basement” album was released on 30th April 2021 and I got to listen, my first expression was “What an album!”. The album is a collaborative live album by the popular music group, Elevation Worship and Atlanta Georgia-based music group, Maverick City. It features many of my favorite worship leaders like Dante Bowe, Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine, Brandon Lake, Joe L Barnes, Tiffany Hudson, Chris Brown, and Amanda Lindsey Cook. Having so many greats of worship music under one roof and ministering to the Lord and his people will forever be thrilling for me.

It is not just the presence of these greats on the album that makes it such a beautiful body of work – it is packed with very edifying lyrics on consecration, affirmations, prayer, thanksgiving, among others on each song, laced with beautiful melodies and so excellently produced.

The 13 track album starts with the song “Old Church Basement” after which the album is named. Dante Bowe leads the song and introduces us to “…an old hallelujah with a new melody”. The album continues with one of my personal favorites “Jireh”. “Jireh” is a beautiful song that speaks of so much from God’s nature of providence to the sufficiency we enjoy in Him. 

“I’ll never be more loved than I am right now.

I wasn’t holding you up, so there’s nothing I can do to let you down

It doesn’t take a trophy to make you proud

I’ll never be more loved than I am right now”

What a refreshing reminder! To know that God does not love us because of our deeds and that we are incapable of letting Him down if we weren’t holding Him up in the first place. From this viewpoint, it is easier to place our in trust God as our sufficiency and not in our deeds.

Another of my favorites on the album is “Talking to Jesus”. The song led by Brandon Lake tells the story of the influence of his grandma and mum on his approach to prayer. He sees it as talking to his friend, Jesus and he’s living his life teaching his kids the same because “what a friend we have in Jesus”.

“Wait on you” is one deep song that teaches us to like the name implies, wait on the Lord and trust his timing. We are sure to be made stronger when we wait on Him. Chandler Moore and Dante Bowe reassure us on this song that He will renew our strength.

Joe L Barnes in his somewhat signature style gives a soft beautiful vibe in his delivery of “Million Little Miracles”. It is a song that portrays how blessed we are and how we enjoy little miracles in our lives that the number system may not be sufficient to count.

“All my life I’ve been carried by grace

Don’t ask me how ’cause I can’t explain

It’s nothing short of a miracle I’m here

I’ve got some blessings that I don’t deserve

I’ve got some scars but that’s how you learn

It’s nothing short of a miracle I’m here”

Chandler Moore did not want for expression and anointing in his delivery “Shall Not Want”. So much an affirmation in a song – reassuring us of the realities that David the Psalmist spoke of in the scriptures (Psalm 23). He reminds us of how God is with us all the way even in our toughest times and so we lack absolutely nothing.

“I will lift my eyes to where my help comes from

And I won’t be afraid of the shadow ’cause I’ve seen the sun

No, I will not stop, when the way gets hard

‘Causе the green only grows in the valley and that’s whеre You are”

The album also features other amazing songs like “Mercy” led by Elevation Worship’s lead songwriter Chris Brown, “Names” led by Tiffany Hudson, “Before and After” led by Bethel Music worship leader Amanda Lindsey Cook among other very anointed worship leaders. Many of the songs were also written by the leaders of the song in conjunction with Pastor Steven Furtick of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based megachurch Elevation Church.

“Old Church Basement” is an album to listen to as it is sure to bless you and stir you up on each song.