Reviewed by Matthew Cordle

I suspect Corey Voss will be most familiar for his writing credits (with the likes of Jaci Velasquez, Lauren Daigle and Paul Baloche) rather than as an artist himself. Coupling his writing activities with serving as Worship and Creative Arts Pastor for Gateway Church, Shelbyville in Tennessee, Corey released a five-track EP in 2017, now integrated into this collection of 10 songs in his first full album release. Corey states in his blog that he has taken up the hobby of hiking through Tennessee state parks and has many inspirational times of refreshing with God speaking to him through creation. Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in considerable use of huge themes drawn from creation to bring the listener into worship. Billed as "10 new songs for the Church", the subject matter is largely focused on declaring God's kingship and greatness, praise that Jesus broke the curse and recognition that only the love of God can "fill the canyons in my soul." From the outset it's clear that Corey has a handle on crafting memorable melodies; the sort of tunes that worm their way into your mind and remain there interwoven with the words, as congregational songs need to if they're going to be successful. From the buoyant opening declaration that "The King is Here", through the gentle yet joyful celebration of "I Got Saved", to the final peaceful reflection on God's unchanging all-sufficiency in "You Promised", there is a pervading air of joy that is seriously uplifting. The poetry of the lyrics is ably-supported by Corey's effortless singing and the excellent level of production, making for a great collection of songs. One point worth noting is the tendency in recent years to pitch songs too high for most congregations, many of whom struggle to sing a top F successfully, let alone a top G# or A! Writers really need to think about this when writing for congregational singing and several songs here fall into this category. They are, however, available on CCLI's SongSelect, so it's easy to transpose and print them out in a lower key. Let's hope we hear much more from Corey Voss!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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