{"id":897,"date":"2007-03-14T15:17:00","date_gmt":"2007-03-14T15:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/idolchatter\/2007\/03\/john-waller-debuts-on-ccm-worship-scene.html"},"modified":"2007-03-14T15:17:00","modified_gmt":"2007-03-14T15:17:00","slug":"john-waller-debuts-on-ccm-worship-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2007\/03\/john-waller-debuts-on-ccm-worship-scene.html","title":{"rendered":"John Waller Debuts on the CCM Worship Scene"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s impossible for me to think of a more oversaturated section of the contemporary Christian music market than the adult contemporary\/worship genre, but John Waller<\/a>–a worship leader and former member of the group “According to John”–has entered that arena with a respectable debut entitled “The Blessing<\/a>.” Fans of groups like Mercy Me<\/a> and singers like Matt Redman will enjoy the tender, spiritual reflections on this CD, and I am guessing one or two of the songs are destined to become the latest worship hits in evangelical churches across the country.<\/p>\n

While all of the songs have an intimate, personal feel to them, musically, many of the songs–like “Identity” and “Breathe on Me”–have a generic sound to them, and it was only after listening to them a second time that I was able to appreciate the lyrics fully. And when Waller tries to inflect a little pop music into songs like “Love to Say Your Name,” the effect falls a little flat.<\/p>\n

However, there are two songs on “The Blessing” that outshine the others by a mile: “Calling for A Flood” and “While I’m Waiting.” Both are catchy without being cheesy or sappy. Both songs also capture a heartfelt cry for a deeper relationship with God that will surely inspire listeners to reflect on their own relationship with God.<\/p>\n

So while I am not sure any of the songs on Waller’s debut will have the miraculous radio crossover appeal that Mercy Me’s “I Can Only Imagine” did, I am sure “The Blessing”<\/a> will be welcomed in Christian bookstores everywhere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s impossible for me to think of a more oversaturated section of the contemporary Christian music market than the adult contemporary\/worship genre, but John Waller–a worship leader and former member of the group “According to John”–has entered that arena with a respectable debut entitled “The Blessing.” Fans of groups like Mercy Me and singers like…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-music"],"yoast_head":"\nJohn Waller Debuts on the CCM Worship Scene<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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