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Music Review: Awaken the Dawn

by Bonnie McMaken

There are some Christian musicians who release albums, sing, and perform. Their music blesses their listeners. Then there are artists who touch not only individuals but the church through their music. Keith and Kristyn Getty are the latter. Like its predecessor, In Christ Alone, Awaken the Dawn features strong melodies and scriptural lyrics, earning its place as one of the most cohesive, thoughtful, and accessible worship albums of the decade.

The title of the album draws its meaning from Psalm 57: “Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples” (Psalm 57:8–9). The motifs of worship as awakening, God calling all people, and ecclesial unity are evident throughout the album. Because of their thematic intentionality, the Gettys have created a focused body of songs that compels the listener to worship through the vivid imagery.

While several of the tracks, like “Still,” are deeply personal, the majority of the songs are richly communal and intended for corporate worship. The intimacy of the body of Christ is seen most in “Behold the Lamb (Communion Hymn)”:

“The wounds that heal, the death that brings us life paid the price to make us one.”

When we share in Jesus’ suffering, we become united with our brothers and sisters. This unity stretches to the global church, now in spirit and one day as part of the heavenly worship we will physically share. “All Around the World” is an evocative minor song testifying to this tension that some theologians call the “already and not yet”:

“Truth will not be bound by walls upon the earth.
From every language, art, and deed, God calls his people forth.
All praise to the King of the new Jerusalem,
Where all of the saints with one voice will worship the Lamb, will forever worship the Lamb.”

Keith and Kristyn Getty always strive to write songs that are accessible and “sing-able,” bring Christians together in praise, and outlast trends in worship music. They seek to write melodies that, as Kristyn Getty said in an interview with Leadership Journal last year, are not “bound by any generation or style . . . [songs that you can] dress and arrange it in so many different ways. You can sing [them] with the piano and a leading vocal, or without all those things.”

As a worship leader, I know this works not just in theory, but in practice. Each song from Awaken the Dawn that our worship team has introduced to our congregation is easy to sing, versatile, and works with different types of instrumentation. One of my favorites for corporate worship is “Come, People of the Risen King”:

“Come, young and old from every land -
Men and women of the faith;
Come, those with full or empty hands -
Find the riches of His grace.
Over all the world, His people sing -
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age:
‘Our God is all in all!’”

Because many of the Getty’s melodies on Awaken the Dawn are strongly rooted in the Celtic folk tradition, the production of some of the songs left me wanting an organic approach: less electronic drums and orchestration, and more exploration into folk instrumentation. The melodies and the lyrics stand firmly on their own, so these extra attempts and flourishes are unnecessary.

If a “successful worship album” is defined as a body of songs that urges the listener or worshipers to praise Jesus Christ through fresh biblical imagery and compelling melodies that are structured, yet simple, Awaken the Dawn is a treasure for the church. Like classic old hymns we still sing today, these modern-day hymns combine memorable melodies and robust theology that break down barriers of age, denomination, and musical education. Keith and Kristyn Getty have given us songs that Christians will be singing around the world for many years to come.

Listen to "What Grace Is Mine" from Awaken the Dawn below for FREE!

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Posted by Bonnie McMaken on November 12, 2009 11:07 AM

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