Worship

Worship music harnesses the power of pop to deliver true songs of the spirit, charting a direct course that soars straight from the soul to the heavens, with praise as the driving force. As the man whose songs are often hailed as the most-sung in Christian music, Worship leader Chris Tomlin knows how to electrify the very air with praise, and he proves it on "Indescribable," an outpouring of faith amid an ecstatic swirl of guitars. Works of wonder pop up from Down Under when the Australian Hillsong congregation raises its many mighty voices to spread their joy all around the globe with "My Redeemer Lives." Just don't try staying in your seat, because Israel & New Breed bust out with a groove to move your body and send your soul to a higher plane, with their outpouring of glory to the Lord on "Friend of God." In Next Steps, Worship music moves the earth and reaches out across the continents.

This is where you discover the real meaning of those famous words from Psalm 66: "Make a joyful noise unto God." That's what the Worship movement's all about, after all. When Twila Paris lifts her lungs to heavenly heights on "He Is Exalted," she's surrendering himself to a higher power. Likewise, it's no earthquake that rocks the Richter scale on "Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?" but a mightier force that U.K. Christian rockers Delirious can't help crying out to in praise. And when Michael W. Smith joins with the African Children's Choir for "A New Hallelujah," their unified message of eternal love proves that one world is big enough for all of God's children. In Deep Cuts, find out just how far the feeling of Worship can take you.

Nothing cuts closer to the bone or reaches deeper to the center of the soul than Worship music, and these are the artists who offer up everything inside them to God. The raw, real passion that drips from Todd Agnew's every note on "Glory to God" makes you feel — physically — the faith powering his praise of the Lord. The gratitude for that sacrifice takes wing with Vineyard Music's "Sweetly Broken," where the pain and compassion of the Cross comes through in equal measure, singing out sweet and strong. And the irresistible folk-funk bounce of Steven Curtis Chapman's "Let Us Pray" might feel carefree, but don't think for a second that its glory-giving message doesn't have every ounce of the Christian rock hero's passion behind it.

Immerse yourself in the experience of Worship music and get lifted up to a place where the soul's surrender is scored by pure pop hooks and red-blooded rock rhythms. Christian rockers, tender-voiced troubadours, and joyful congregations — they're all here singing out in praise of the Lord. But even though Worship is a worldwide movement, there's no need to get overwhelmed by its grand scale — we've gone up, down, and around the mountain for you, gathering tracks from Contemporary Christian Music's brightest lights. From the warm, acoustic pop of Brian Doerksen to the divine arena rock of Tree 63, this is the place where the sweetest sounds humankind has to offer are hoisted high in the service of something much bigger than ourselves.