MIGHTY is Mighty Worshipful and Mighty Good

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Submitted by Dennis Russo on Sun, 08/09/2015 - 13:06

Recorded live in Redding, California at Bethel Church, with additional recording at the Soundhouse, MIGHTY did not immediately strike me as a live recording. It was very polished sounding. Oftentimes in live shows the audience sound is immediately heard before and during the performance and usually very much so in Christian recordings. Replete with a full band, strings, and a choir, this album is quite a production, many times giving the songs immenseness.

On my first listen I felt Kristene had this velvety smoothness, a purity of tone that was very similar to Twila Paris. The acoustics of the album are good to very good. Even with a lot going on I was still able to place Kristene in the soundstage, with the chorus and musicians well-placed within the soundstage as well. The soundstage itself was wide and went fairly deep into the listening space. The dynamics were good as well, if a bit on the soft side at times. When all aspects of the song were coming though, it really portrayed a sense of scale so that, when it would taper back off to a few performers or just Kristene, it made the soundstage proportionately intimate.

As with many Christian singers/songs these days, some of the songs here start out with a lilting “loud whisper” in an attempt to impart, I suspect, an air of reverence to the song. I do get that, and reverence is what we should all have when talking or singing about the Lord. My own personal taste is more to the “Shout to the Lord” style, but what I liked in particular about this album is that while a song sometimes started that way, often times it would build and be up to a normal tone of voice, even shouting to the Lord loud if you will, without ever having lost any reverence that the loud whisper might impart. What I’m trying to say is that the songs are quiet when they should be and loud when they should be, and at all times imparting a definite reverence. Indeed, there are certain times throughout the album when the chorus joins in, that they are mixed in such a way that makes them sound heavenly and ethereal.

I find the songs in this set to be more of the listen to and reflect upon than sing along with; not that you can’t sing along with these, and you can hear people doing it, especially on the choruses. But to me it’s more the type of worship music I will sit and listen to and reflect on the meaning behind the lyrics and how I can relate to them.

It is also very apparent Ms. DiMarco is influenced by many of the old hymns. I think that is awesome. On several songs, either by direct lyrical association or by tempo I could discern several of my old favorite hymns referenced. What makes this so good for me is that I instantly had this bond, this connection, with songs I had not heard before, but have sort of, and this re-use of classic refrains in no way diminished the power of them in their original context but rather shed a new light on them, allowing us to sing them in praise in a new way while still focusing on their original intent. “Oh the Wonderful Cross,” “It is Well with My Soul,” and “Praise the Lord O’ My Soul” stand out to me.

All of the songs on this CD are very Jesus-centered. They are down-to-earth and worshipful in a way that every Christian can probably relate to in one way or another. The underlying theme I found running through this album is that Jesus sustained me through everything in the past, will sustain me through everything in the future, and I will forever love and worship Him.

As in a lot of live albums--and Christian music is no exception--lyrical choruses are sometimes repeated two or three times in a row more often than they should be. While it has a different effect when you are at the show, on an album its impact can wane. That minor quirk aside, this is an excellent example of what a modern Christian album with roots tied to the “old school” should sound like. After listening to it, you may forget some of the lyrics you heard, but you’ll keep your thoughts attuned to worshiping the Lord and you may find yourself in a good conversation with Him that this album led you to have; and isn’t that what Christian music should do?

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