Music Review: My Lord Has Come - International Staff Songsters
Music Review: My Lord Has Come - International Staff Songsters
9 May 2016
The International Staff Songsters (ISS) are the premier choir of The Salvation Army, with a mission to portray the gospel of Jesus Christ and communicate his love through song. The repertoire of the ISS spans a large range of Christian music, from classic to contemporary, spirituals and traditional songs. Their latest album, My Lord Has Come, is a compilation of unaccompanied vocal reflections, moving towards a more traditional, meditative genre.
My Lord Has Come is the perfect way to escape the busyness of life and pause to reflect on the love of Jesus Christ and God’s faithfulness. As an a capella album, the ISS sing together in rich harmony to focus on the message of the words. A translation of “a capella” is in the manner of the chapel, and while listening one can imagine sitting in a magnificent cathedral, resting in the peace that the words and music invoke.
While the tracks on the album are similar in style, each is unique as they vary in words and form. A selection of the tracks’ words are taken directly from scripture, such as God So Loved the World which is an arrangement of the well-known Bible verse, John 3:16. Lux Aurumque is sung in Latin. Other tracks are exclusively men’s or women’s voices, displaying the diversity of the ISS’s capabilities. The album also includes well-known choral works by Samuel Barber and Eric Whitacre, alongside Salvation Army classics by George Marshal and Norman Bearcroft.
As a member of the Sydney Staff Songsters, I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the music of another staff songsters group that shares a passion for proclaiming the love of God through song. I have been blessed through their singing and the opportunity for spiritual reflection that My Lord Has Come offers.
My Lord Has Come can be purchased at Salvationist Supplies for $29.50. Go to thetrade.salvos.org.au
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