"Live" albums are an advertising misnomer these days.  Some live records are so manicured with overdubs that they are merely another over-produced studio album with the clapping of the audience tagged.  They remind us of those TV sitcoms where the "fake" gregarious laughter was artificially engineered at key points of the show.  In so doing many of these "live" albums take away something very precious that happens when God's people gather to worship:  the presence of the Almighty God.  Scripture specifically promises that God makes his presence peculiarly felt when His people gather in a live setting to worship (Psalm 22:3).  And the greatest complement one can say about a worship record is that the presence of God exudes powerfully, such is the case with Keith Elgin's "Our Hope (live)." Elgin is the worship pastor at The Vine, a church plant in the Washington, D.C. area.  Over the last few years, he has released two full length albums and one EP.  "Our Hope (Live)" is this worship leader's first live worship recording funded through the Kickstarter program with Jason Hoard on the producer's chair.

The song list of this recording is most telling:  while many artists who have taken the arduous task of raising their own funding for their recording would maximize their financial returns by stuffing it with their own compositions.  This is not case with Elgin.  To Elgin, royalty checks are secondary relative to facilitating people to truly worship God.  Thus, he is not afraid of mixing up his own copyrights with more familiar worship staples that give his audience greater familiarity in worship.   And the recording starts off with Chris Tomlin's "Our God."  Though many have often surrounded this celebratory anthem with a fortress of noise, Elgin wisely scales back on the usual pounding drums and buzzing electric guitars.  Rather, adding a contrapuntal bassline, the spotlight here is on Elgin's vocals, making us listen to the words afresh again:  "Water you turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind there's no one like you, none like You!/Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there's no one like you none like You!"

 It doesn't take a genius to know that Elgin is a fan of Hillsong Live.  Two of their worship favorites are included here including "Forever Reign" and "Stronger." "Stronger," which was incidentally also revived by Newsboys on the deluxe version of their latest album, is one of Hillsong's lyrically best.  In just a matter of a few minutes, "Stronger" has captured gorgeously the paradox of the Cross: this symbol of weakness and ignominy is also our strength and pride.  Elgin's admiration for Hillsong also shows with his self-composed "Dance Dance Dance" which lyrically echoes the Australian mega church's "Freedom We Know."  "Our Hope is in You," from which the album derives its title, starts off slow crescendoing to a climatic chorus that makes us want to sing at the top of our voices.  Part of this magic is birthed by the input of Elgin's co-writers: Third Day's lead singer Mac Powell and Aaron Shust's drummer Brandon Coker.  Maybe it's because Elgin's wife has been suffering from Multiple Sclerosis two weeks after they got married, Elgin brings a sensitivity to "Made for More."  This mid-tempo Elgin original is a powerful reminder to each of us that despite our infirmities, God made us for much more than we could ever imagined.

The album closes with a pleasant surprise.  Despite the rock edged sound of the record, "Medley" goes back to Elgin's country roots.  With some rustic acoustic guitar strumming, "Medley" deals with our blessed hope in Jesus Christ starting off with the old hymn "Power in the Blood."  This is followed by Hank Williams' "I Saw the Light" before closing off with a Southern favorite "I'll Fly Away."  Those who have grown up with these Southern gems will have much to reminisce about.  Nevertheless, "Our Hope (Live)" presents to us a night of dynamic worship where God's presence is celebrated, enjoyed and honored.  For worship leaders, "Our Hope (Live)" serves as a pedagogical paradigm of how Godly worship is administered.  And for the worshipper, this will provide us with an experience with the Father that we can repeat again and again.