Rend Family Records / Capitol CMG
Release Date: November 17th 2023
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Rend Collective – Whosoever (Deluxe) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Whosoever
- Let It Roll
- Hallelujah Anyway
- Plans
- Boast in the Cross
- True in the Light
- Beloved
- Gratefulness
- As for Me
- We Need the Love of God
- Hallelujah Anyway (feat. Matt Maher)
- Homesick
- Beggars to Kings
- Let It Roll (Live)
- Hallelujah Anyway (Live)
If you’ve ever frequented our website within the last few years, you would be familiar with the band Rend Collective, a Northern-Irish group that have taken radio and the CCM market by storm with the rousing and poignant anthems within the last decade or so. Formally called ‘Rend Collective Experiment’, this Northern Irish band is perhaps one of the biggest groups to come of the UK/Irish area, ever since the British worship band (and one of the founding fathers of CCM and worship) Delirious?. Originally signed to Integrity Music before making the jump in 2015 to the more radio-friendly Capitol CMG, from the album As Family We Go onward; Rend Collective have managed to fuse together two things and do both of them well- present to us great worship music, while also pushing boundaries and creating good acoustic/folk/alternative music worthy enough of having repeat value, with their craft on a higher plane than sadly most of the modern worship music available at our fingertips at the moment. Not to discount the valid passion present in much of today’s CCM/worship community, it’s just that when a band/artist comes along that presents to us something different (and it’s a different that is great), we all ought to sit up and take notice. And Rend Collective is one such band.
I’ve reviewed a plethora of Rend Collective albums in the past- from Campfire Christmas: Vol. 1, Campfire 2: Simplicity, Build Your Kingdom Here: The Mixtape, and Good News, to Choose to Worship, A Jolly, Irish Christmas: Vol. 2, and Whosoever, to name a few. Now, around a year or so after Whosoever, we see Chris Llewellyn and co. deliver the expanded version of Whosoever, titled Whosoever (Deluxe), complete with live version of ‘Hallelujah Anyway’ and ‘Let It Roll’, alongside a duet with Matt on ‘Hallelujah Anyway’ (quite possibly my favourite singular Rend Collective song I’ve heard ever since 2018’s ‘No Outsiders’. While it’s unclear when the worship band will be releasing their next album after Whosoever, this expanded edition ought to be enough to ‘tie us over’, and is a must-listen (even if it’s only once) if you love any one of the band’s previous albums, or even similar artists, like We the Kingdom, We are Messengers, UNITED and I Am They.
On top of the first 10 songs from Whosoever (which the review can be viewed here), the band has since unveiled a further 5 tracks- a duet collaboration between Chris Llewellyn & co. and Matt Maher for the powerful radio hit ‘Hallelujah Anyway’, two other new songs ‘Homesick’ and ‘Beggars to Kings’, as well as a live version of ‘Hallelujah Anyway’ and ‘Let It Roll’. Matt Maher adds a powerful new element to an already great song, and the live versions of both ‘Hallelujah Anyway’ and ‘Let It Roll’ are also reminding us that songs in live settings are given the space to breathe and move organically, rather than being set a rigid song length as per what is required to be delivered if it were to be accepted and considered for radio marketability. ‘Homesick’ and ‘Beggars to Kings’ both round out the ‘new’ 5 tracks- the former, ‘Homesick’, is a worshipful melody where Chris declare that he is homesick for God’s love, longing for our spiritual home of heaven, and reminding us that we should always have eternity and the focus of it, at the forefront of our minds rather than the tangible here and now; while ‘Beggars to Kings’ highlights the grace and mercy of Christ, reminding each and every one of us, that we’re not discounted from the foot of the Cross (or the house of the Lord), even if we have all of our hurt, pain, failures and scars.
Rend Collective have always been a source of worship music over the years, and hopefully, as we all listen, we can admire the band for their tenacity and their longevity in a music, dare I say, business; where artists come and go at the drop of a hat. Whosoever: Deluxe Edition is an album that allows us all to take a ponder as to the real reasons why and how there’s all this division within Christianity, not to mention political divide as well, in the world, when the Lord encourages us all to come together, unified by our love for Christ and the church. Chris and co. deliver bold, brave, challenging, and compelling songs- Whosoever (both the standard and its deluxe versions) has been a standout worship album for myself over the last few years. Much needed at a time when everything, from gender, familial relationships, the meaning of man and woman, even what it means to be a Christian, seems to be under question and maybe even fluid to some extent; Chris and co. have continued to remind us of the enveloping power of God’s grace, love, mercy and kindness, things that will lead people to repentance, rather than judgement. Well done Chris and co. for this album. Looking forward to the new album, whenever it may arise.
5 songs to listen to: Hallelujah Anyway (feat. Matt Maher), Plans, True in the Light, As For Me, Boast in the Cross
Score: 5/5
RIYL: We The Kingdom, Crowder, Urban Rescue, UNITED, We Are Messengers, I Am They