Keeper Branch Records / The Fuel Music
Release Date: February 24th 2023
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Christy Nockels – This is the Hour (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- This is the Hour Overture (feat. Nathan Nockels)
- As For Me (Psalm 2)
- Come Magnify
- Where Would I Be
- The Strength That Prevails (feat. Nathan Nockels)
- Valor
- Home
- In Your Eyes
- Christ In Me
- Evermore
- This is the Hour Reprise (feat. Nathan Nockels)
- Keep On
- All For the Praise
- Benediction (Breath of God)
Christy Nockels has always been an underrated worship leader over the years. Since making her career with duo Watermark (basically her and her husband Nathan Nockels formed the duo), Christy rose to prominence as a rising star amongst Passion Conferences and their music ministry. Over the years, Watermark (and later on Christy when the duo disbanded, and Christy ventured out to release new solo music) would offer up heartfelt melodies and emotive songs that were always highlights on every annual Passion album. Nowadays, Passion and their music releases aren’t the same as they used to be…and maybe that’s ok, maybe that’s too much change in one go, but from an objective standpoint; throughout every Passion album that has released over the past little while (for me, I feel from 2017’s Worthy of Your Name onward), artists like Christy Nockels, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin have seemingly been passed over (intentionally or not, we don’t know) in favour of other Passion artists like Kristian Stanfill, Brett Younker, Melodie Malone and Sean Curran (formally of Bellarive fame). I’ll still forever be partial to Passion’s releases circa 2003 – 2017, and regardless of whether Christy will ever be on a Passion album again, her music is still relevant and emotive now as it was when she first started.
Since starting her solo career, Christy has released album after album full of powerful songs for the church- 2009 showed us Life Light Up, one of my personal favourite worship albums of that year, with songs like ‘No Not One’ co-written with Brandon Heath, “Life Light Up”, “A Mighty Fortress” and the Brooke Fraser written “Hosanna” showcasing some of the highlights on such an album like this. In 2012 she unveiled to us another project in Into the Glorious with smash hits and favourites inclusive of “Everlifting”, “Sing Along”, “Waiting Here For You” and “Healing Is In Your Hands”. And while I myself haven’t really listened to fully her live album Let it Be Jesus, I know well that the 2015 album was also a standout of that year too. Christy also unveiled a cover of the Housefires (and subsequently Pat Barrett) hit, ‘Build My Life’ in 2017, while she has also unveiled 2 Christmas albums in The Thrill of Hope and The Thrill of Hope Renewed (2016 and 2019 respectively), a lullaby album in Be Held: Lullabies for the Beloved (2017), and most recently, her 2019 standout standalone single ‘In Every Way’. Now fast-forward to 2023, and she’s back at it again, with a full-length 14 track album titled This is the Hour, (comprising of standout songs like ‘Home’, ‘Come Magnify’, ‘Christ in Me’, ‘Keep On’ and ‘All For the Praise’, to name a few). Fans of Christy’s previous music will love this album. Fans of worship music will love this album. And fans of Passion albums of yesteryear will certainly adore this album through and through. In a nutshell, this album is a must, especially if you’re looking for some new music to enjoy in a corporate worship setting (or even a personal worship setting, too!).
‘…We’re living in an hour where you and I are having to pioneer through some of the most challenging cultural and spiritual landscapes we’ve ever encountered. Yes, there are those who have gone before us, but this moment is new to us and it matters what we do with it. My prayer is that these songs foster a deep reconnection of our hearts to God in this hour in a way that helps us cultivate His presence in our daily lives in a real and fresh way…’ I’ve always admired the passion of Christy in her music, and that is nothing different with these new songs on This is The Hour– ‘Home’ and ‘Come Magnify’ were initially released by Christy as part of a double single Come Magnify (comprising of these two songs), and both these two songs anchor the whole album thematically, musically and lyrically, as Christy continues to remind us all of why she’s one of the most underrated worship artists over the last decade or so. Honest and hopeful, emotive, and encouraging, Christy’s enthusiasm and passion amongst many female worship leaders is often unbridled and unprecedented. We are met with almost every emotion when it comes to hearing her vocals in the two initial pre-release tracks, as we see Christy deliver these two themes present in these songs with much intentionality and passion- ‘Come Magnify’ reminds us to always look towards Christ as the master and perfector of our faith, to magnify Him with our whole being because of what He has undertaken for us to be reconciled and united back to Himself. It’s a song that hopefully allows us to pursue Him first and foremost, fixing our gaze, focus and attention on Him instead of petty arguments and philosophical musings with each other that may not necessarily mean anything fruitful in the end. For when we focus our eyes on Jesus, everything else seemingly fades away, and nothing else should matter.
‘Home’ on the other hand, is a song that allows us listeners to become excited about spending forever and eternity at home- in communion and fellowship with God Almighty. A poignant and heartfelt song that is slowly becoming one of my favourite worship songs over the last year or so, ‘Home’ invites us on a journey, so that we can thus realise that being in the presence of God Himself, is the home that we need, especially during such a time in the history of the world, where it looks as though things aren’t going to get better, period. We need a safe and secure place to call home, and this song invites us to call such a home, Christ Jesus Himself. Co-written with Jason Ingram (like every other great worship song!), ‘Come Magnify’ the song, is a breath of fresh air (likewise with ‘Home’), compared to a lot of other worship melodies and songs to have been borne out of the last year and a half, and Christy the artist, was by far one of my favourite parts of Passion in albums gone by. With both these songs a must-listen, especially if you’ve appreciated Christy’s songs of the past (in particular, tracks like ‘Waiting Here For You’, ‘Healing is In Your Hands’, ‘No Not One’, ‘A Mighty Fortress’, ‘Let It Be Jesus’, ‘In Every Way’ and ‘Sing Along’, to name a few), or if you’ve enjoyed Passion albums of years gone by; Christy ought to be commended for such vulnerable songs as these, that are certain to convict and challenge whomever hears the track, myself included.
Throughout the rest of the 14 tracks, we see Christy continue to invite us into communion with our Heavenly Father, as we worship alongside other people who appreciate Christy’s music, on songs that are starting to become some of the most compelling and challenging worship songs I’ve heard this year (equally on par with the songs on Phil Wickham’s latest album, I Believe). Track #1 begins with ‘This is the Hour Overture’, which continues in track #11 under the title ‘This is the Hour Reprise’- both these songs showcase to us a sense of urgency as Christy powerfully asserts that right now at a certain point in our lives, we ought to ask ourselves- who do we love? Who do we hold allegiance to? Is it to Christ or to ourselves? Who are we willing to stretch out our arms towards? Who are we willing to show God’s love to? Can we really extend grace and love and mercy and compassion to people who look differently than us, especially when this is what the Lord commands (and strongly encourages) us to undertake? This song can hopefully stir up within us a sense of purposefulness and intentionality about our lives that we can hopefully live out, with guidance and perseverance at the forefront of each of us…I mean, that is the hope of the first track, at least.
‘As For Me’ comes in at track #2, and delivers the music of light acoustics against the backdrop of Christy’s powerful vocals, as the theme of God not changing His mind, but firmly declaring the things He will undertake in the timeframe of between now and…whenever He comes back? ‘As For Me’ reminds us that God’s words have weight and power, and what He says will happen, will indeed come to pass. ‘Where Would I Be?’ challenges listeners to always have a well-thought answer to the unwavering faith that we have in Christ, as we are asked to give a reason for the unbridled and passionate hope that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord- for when we really believe for ourselves the words of how ‘…where would I be without the blood? Where would I be without your love? You took my place on Calvary, without the blood where would I be?…’; then we can really present a case for our own faith, in confidence, knowing that whatever is asked about our personal faith, shouldn’t shake us, because of what we have experienced to lead us to get to this state of surrender and worship towards Christ Jesus. ‘The Strength that Prevails’ is a little 1 minute interlude between songs, and while the track itself is only an instrumental, it’s indeed an instrumental that captures a sense of calmness, peacefulness and hope, which is very much needed in this politically charged climate of 2023. ‘Valor’, track #6, is a rousing and declaratory statement of truth and biblical moments of assertion, as we declare alongside Christy, that ‘…it’s me, I’m still here standing, in a strength that’s not my own, I don’t face this hour alone, cause Jesus Your cross, Your death, Your resurrection life in me, Jesus Your cross, Your death, Your resurrection life in me, You’ll always be my valor…’ The definition of the word ‘valor’, in biblical terms, means to be strong and worthy, so to declare Jesus to be our valor, means to also declare Jesus to be our courage, our source of fearlessness and source of bravery. He is who we run to, at all times, so to declare Himself to be our valor, is to be at that moment of realisation of who He is in spite of who we are, and thus we declare and powerfully assert, accordingly.
‘In Your Eyes’ (yes, it’s that ‘In Your Eyes’) is a powerful 7 minute rendition and reimagining of the famous Peter Gabriel classic, and in my mind, Christy’s hauntingly refreshing and powerful rendition of the track, is equally as emotive and compelling as renditions from Francesca Battistelli and JJ Heller; whilst ‘Christ In Me’ reminds us all of the necessity of Christ being in our everyday lives, that Him being the strength in our life, Him being the source of our hope and bravery, Him being the source of who we are as people…that is reason enough to powerfully declare ‘Christ in Me, my hope of glory’, right? Giving up our ways for His, surrendering our lives so that He can enter it and shape and mould it to who He longs for us to be, is nothing short of scary for the most part, but it is very much worth every painful moment that comes alongside us declaring God to come into or lives, unequivocally and without condition. ‘Evermore’ slows down the tempo as Christy evokes emotions of confidence and assurance as we hold onto the promise that ‘…Your presence is Your plan for me, and Your will is where I’ll always see, that on every mountain high and every valley low, You are here with me, and there’s no outcome that is greater, no promise that is sweeter, and the answer I keep waiting for is You are with me evermore…’ These lyrics are powerful, emotive, and heartfelt, and as I write this album review, in real time of me listening to this album from start to finish (the second time), I can say with certainty, that this album is equal (maybe even surpassing) to Phil Wickham’s I Believe as being my favourite worship album of the year.
The album then rounds out with the songs ‘Keep On’, ‘All For the Praise’ and ‘Benediction (Breath of God)’- the former (‘Keep On’) is an ode to keep going and shining for Christ is whatever we say and do, even if no one is looking or applauding, because ‘…the time will come when your fields will ripen with the morning sun and the harvest that you reap will carry you, so, keep on shining…’, while ‘All For Your Praise’ is a reminder that the lives that we lead, what we say and do, how we interact with people, and how we carry ourselves in a daily practice of sacrificial worship, is all for Christ, all for the praise of His glorious grace, all for the praise of who He is and what He’s done and how we cannot do anything to earn it back, period. Once we grasp that revolutionary thought, we can worship freely and give thanks with a grateful heart. The album ends with ‘Benediction (Breath of God)’, a song that’s grounded in the Word of God, as the concept of a benediction dates back to years upon years ago in early church history. Christy’s song powerfully asserts that ‘…more than the comforts of earth, God, we say that we need You, and more than the outcomes, the answers, we say that we trust You, and more than the fame of this world, God, wе say that we love you…’ It is a powerful end to an already powerful album, one that bypassed myself throughout most of the year (the album released in February 2023)…until now, of course!
So there you have it…This is the Hour, from the underrated worship artist, Christy Nockels. Sure it has the Peter Gabriel cover ‘In Your Eyes’, but that song certainly fits. It has songs of comfort and hope (‘Home’, ‘Where Would I Be’), while also contrasting it to songs of expectation and longing (‘Keep On’, ‘Christ In Me’). It’s an album full of life, full of compelling moments of hopeful action and enthusiastic passion, while also showcasing songs of both corporate worship and intimate worship too. It’s an album that’s a must, especially if you love worship music that is not Bethel, or Hillsong, or Elevation Worship. It’s fresh, unique and different, and if its anything but Bethel, Elevation Worship or Hillsong, then it’s worth checking out, right? Well done Christy for such a poignant and challenging album full of biblical truths that are necessary and essential in this culture that we live in.
3 songs to listen to: Come Magnify, Evermore, Valor
Score: 5/5
RIYL: Chris Tomlin, Kari Jobe, Matt Redman, Melodie Malone, Kristian Stanfill