The Best of Passion (So Far)

Album Review

Almost a decade after its inception, the Louie Giglio-led Passion movement released the two-disc retrospective The Best of Passion (So Far), a 30-song collection gathering some of the biggest songs to emerge from the popular collegiate conferences. The exponential growth of these yearly gatherings and their corresponding live projects is no fluke: since 1998, Passion has launched the careers of Chris Tomlin, the David Crowder Band, and Charlie Hall, as well as infusing new life into that of modern worship pioneer Matt Redman, resulting in millions of albums sold and dozens of songs that are sung weekly in churches across the United States and beyond. With the exception of album bookends "Come and Listen" and "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," all the songs on The Best of Passion (So Far) are presented chronologically according to the year of recording. The first disc has its moments, but it reflects a giant still growing into its own and aiming toward finding its voice. It's during the second disc, as the worshipers move from the late '90s into the new millennium, that the sound gets larger and more congregational, eventually exploding in anthems such as "Holy Is the Lord," "How Great Is Our God," and "Indescribable," all of which were first introduced by Tomlin and have become hallmarks at Christian radio and the worldwide church. By only sticking to material on previously released Passion albums, the compilers forwent a few songs ("Undignified," "The Wonderful Cross," "Wonderful Maker") that are as much a part of the movement's history as the ones that did make the cut. And, with the exception of Charlie Hall's tame rendition of "How Great Thou Art," Passion's serviceable hymns album was given the cold shoulder. In all, though, The Best of Passion (So Far) accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is to chronicle the life and times of the most prolific and popular group of young artists and songwriters in modern worship music.