The Emerging Sound Vol. 5 - Quickly
Becoming A Worship Leader Favorite
by PAUL HERMAN Published Nov. 5th, 2019
Right from the start, the intention of The Emerging Sound - Vol 5 is clear:
God’s gonna get my praise
God’s gonna get my praise
Devil, get outta my way
‘Cause God’s gonna get my praise
That opening chorus sets the tone for an album that’s already resonating with believers and churches around the world. Released in July, 2019, The Emerging Sound, Vol. 5 debuted at #1 in the iTunes Christian/Gospel section, just like Vol. 3 and 4.
Crystal Yates, Kevin Jones and Wesley Nilsen co-wrote the song with Emerging Sound students, and Crystal talks about the motivation behind the song. “It’s a war cry from the position of victory we have in Christ,” she says. “Especially when we are in the midst of the battle! We have an enemy but our God is greater, and He has the eternal victory. Everything was finished at the cross, the work is complete. As His children, we can lift up a shout of praise, knowing our victory is assured in Jesus!”
From there, the momentum just keeps building throughout the album. Kaden Slay and Melanie Tierce take the lead on “Welcome King Jesus,” an uptempo, high-energy opener, bursting with praise:
Shout all ye people and dance through the town
Come celebrate because heaven’s come down
Jesus, Welcome King Jesus
Kaden Slay reflects on the writing session with co-writers Melanie Tierce, Jennie Lee Riddle, Joshua Sherman and Emerging Sound students. “I don’t think any of us expected the response it got, but God continues to use it in such an awesome way. It gives everyone the opportunity to just cut loose and celebrate our King Jesus!”
David Gentiles, who co-wrote “New Name Written Down In Glory” with Charity Gayle, Denita Gibbs and Emerging Sound students, reflects on the line that’s become such a favorite, “I remember so vividly the moment these words and melody came:
I am who I am because the I AM tells me who I am…
“We were in the middle of talking about how our identities were changed from enslaved to free, broken to whole, orphan to adopted, and abandoned to son and daughter of our loving God. It was like a truth train came storming down the tracks of my mind. I could see the electricity in these truths in the flow of the melody and lyrics. It just came out of my mouth like a tidal wave! The whole room just went crazy. We knew the Lord had given us something special to share with the world.”
Sean Carter, one of the co-writers and lead vocalists in “Redeemed By The Blood Of The Lamb,” talked about the inspiration with co-writers Melanie Tierce, David Gentiles, Will Yates and Emerging Sound students:
I went down to the crimson river
Left my burdens on the shore
I went down a sinner, came up a saint
Died with Christ, now I’m reborn
“We wanted to use language that was reminiscent of the songs of old. For years, hymn writers have used the ‘river’ metaphor to describe how the cross of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9),” said Sean.
Once listeners are ready for the Throne Room, then “Throne Room Song” flings those doors open wide.
If all of the heavens are singing along
With the saints and the elders in glorious song
And the praises they sing never seem to get old
Then I’ll stay here forever singing...
“Full access into the Throne Room means full access to the Father,” says May Angeles, co-writer and female lead vocalist. “It opens our eyes to understand what it means to truly live and the responsibility of what it means to truly die. Death means one of two things: the inevitable end of a life lived for selfish gain, or the entrance into eternity of a life lived for Jesus Christ. But it cannot be both.”
Official videos from a number of the songs have been released, and as of this writing, the Vol 5 videos have collectively amassed over 2.5 million YouTube views. Worship leaders from around the country are quickly learning these songs and introducing them to their congregations. Here are a few responses:
“This is seriously my favorite album right now! Every time I listen to it, I hear something new. Our church sang ‘Throne Room’ yesterday (the first song I introduced). I’m having a hard time deciding what’s next. I love ‘Echo’ and ‘New Name Written Down In Glory,’ and ‘Redeemed By The Blood Of The Lamb is on my list, too. I love the unique sound, the collaboration of artists and the fresh approach these songs bring to congregational worship.” -Lori Fast, Assoc Pastor: Worship & Ministry Development, Centralia Community Church, Centralia, WA
“PEOPLE & SONGS and The Emerging Sound albums have had a significant influence in how I lead worship. We recently introduced "Throne Room Song" into our worship service. It was incredible to truly get a glimpse of God's glory through this song. Their songs are all written with excellence and allow us to hide God's Word in our hearts. My prayer is that God will raise up more young artists that cling to Scripture as they write the songs we present to our congregations!” -Whitney Payne, Worship & Arts Director, Independence Hill Baptist Church, China Grove, NC
“This album is FIRE! I can’t listen to ‘God’s Gonna Get My Praise’ without my stank face! I love the line ‘Jesus is the Lion that cannot be TAMED’!! ” -Dallas Stevens III, Worship Pastor SW Campus, St. Luke’s, Lubbock, TX
“I love PEOPLE & SONGS, and it was so good to worship with them last year at their ‘Turn Up The Lights’ festival in La Porte, IN. ‘The Emerging Sound - Vol. 5 is AMAZING!’ There are so many good songs. I heard ‘Welcome King Jesus’ and immediately thought it would be a GREAT Palm Sunday song. Now I’m wondering, how great would this be at Christmas?” -Tandy Adams, Castleton United Methodist Church, Indianapolis, IN
“We introduced “New Name Written Down In Glory” by PEOPLE & SONGS to our church this morning (with a little help from our choir). We’re a church in Birmingham, U.K. with around 90 different nationalities represented, and songs like this capture of so many folks across a wide spectrum of musical preferences and church backgrounds.” -Kevin Thomas Levingston, Birmingham City Church, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Just like the entire Emerging Sound album series, all the songs were written and recorded within the span of a few days at the annual Emerging Sound summer camp #TEScamp. So many of the songs you’ve come to know and love were written at this young writers camp:
What Mercy Did For Me
Give Us Your Heart
Let Revival Come
Amen
Psalm 23
Touched By A Fire
For more camp information, go HERE. You can order audio CDs, performance tracks, charts—even the commemorative Emerging Sound Camp T-shirt HERE.
Or you can purchase/listen on your favorite digital platform. If you’re like many listeners, it will be on repeat for quite awhile.