Sonicflood released their self-titled debut album in
1999. It peaked at #2 on the Heatseekers
Chart and won a Dove Award for ‘Praise and Worship Album of the Year’. ‘I Want to Know You’ and ‘I Could Sing of
Your Love Forever’ were both #1 songs.
By the time the band put out their second studio album, however,
entitled RESONATE (2001, INO Records), the group’s roster was completely
different! Rick Heil, formerly of Big
Tent Revival, was on lead vocals and guitar.
He was joined by David Alan (keyboards, organ), Tom Michael (bass,
vocals), Todd ‘Dr.’ Shay (lead guitar, vocals), and Brett Vargason (drums,
percussion). The latter three were
members of the John Cox Band, while Alan had played keyboards for Big Tent
Revival. RESONATE was produced by John
Jaszcz and Petra’s John Lawry, and executive produced by Rick Heil and Jeff
Moseley. In the liner notes the band
writes: “To all who seek to worship the Lord through song, thank you for your
continued prayers and support...May we die so that CHRIST may LIVE! Praise the Lord, forever!”
Kevin Prosch wrote the opener, ‘Lord of the Dance’. It’s an energetic pop/dance song that is
motivational: “You’re the Lord of the dance, You’re the dancing Lord/Everybody
dance now/In the Holy Spirit/Everybody love the One, love the One/Love the One,
the One you love the most now/Can’t nobody stop me now/I’m gonna give it all I
got/Gonna run to You, run to You/Run to You, just like a child”. ‘You are the Holy One’ is a pop/rock song of
devotion: “I will live to declare Your glory/And my heart is filled with
praise/I will shout and I will sing/For all of my days/Wanna walk in Your
holiness/Wanna stand for all Your ways/When You call I will say yes/For all of
my days”. The title track, ‘Resonate’,
glorifies God: “Let all nature sing/Let the earth rejoice/We will resonate,
resonate Your glory/Let all living things praise You with one voice/We will
resonate, resonate Your glory”.
Brian Doerksen wrote the classic ‘I Lift my eyes Up’. Here, it is performed as a duet with an
uncredited female vocalist in pop fashion.
These lyrics cry out to God: “Oh, how I need You Lord/You are my only
hope/You are my only friend/So I will wait for You/To come and rescue me/Come
and give me life”. ‘Fuel’ is a modern
worship number: “You are the faith, the hope, the love/You are the peace, the
life, the One/We are yearning/We are burning and we are yearning/We are longing
for, longing for You”.
The pleasant pop song ‘Write Your Name Upon My Heart’
follows. It’s a prayerful one: “Write
Your Name upon my heart/Burn Your Word into my mind/Make a temple of this
body/Let Your Spirit move inside/I have wandered through the valley/I have
wondered who I am/You have come to make Your mark/So write Your Name upon my
heart”. Lead vocalist Rick Heil wrote
‘Dear Lord’. It’s an adult contemporary
ballad that acknowledges spiritual need: “Dear Lord, my heart is
breaking/Breaking in two/And Lord my spirit’s torn and crushed without You”.
‘Your Love’ is one of two songs co-written by Kelly Minter
and Heil. It’s a Beatle-esque rock ‘n’
roll song of gratitude: “When I think of all You’ve done/Kept every promise/And
made me alive in Your Son/In light of all this/I’ll give my life, I’ll take up
my cross/Cause everything else I count but loss”. ‘Holy and Anointed One’ includes these poetic
words: “Your Name is like honey on my lips/Your Spirit like water to my soul/Your
Word is a lamp unto my feet/Jesus, I love You, I love You”.
‘Lord Over All’ is a prayerful adult pop song of submission:
“Be the fire in my heart/My consuming love and passion/Be the air that I
breathe/The song that I sing from my heart and soul/Jesus, Lord over all/Be the
Lord over me/Jesus, drawn to this altar I come/Here is my heart/May Your will
be done in me”. ‘In Your Hands’ is a
relatively quiet song that comes from a place of spiritual maturity: “In Your
hands/For every storm there is a reason/In Your hands/There is a time for every
season/Though my tears may fall/You hold me close/And love me through it all/In
Your hands...”
RESONATE has a strong, melodic title track. The lyrics on this record praise and worship
God for who He is and what He has done for us.
He is our Source of life, hope, peace, joy, and redemption. He is our Helper and our Friend. He is holy, glorious, and righteous. These songs long for an intimate relationship
with God and for Him to work in our lives.
On this project, this entirely new group of musicians prove themselves
worthy of carrying on the name Sonicflood.
If you enjoy lively, youthful, upbeat pop and modern worship music, you
should pick up a copy of RESONATE, which I’m rating 96%. For more info visit: www.sonicflood.com.