Loving the New Wilds CD

My good friend Matt Herbster told me a while back that I’d like the new Wilds Quartet CD, Creator, Redeemer, & King. He’s right. Matt, Scott Ashmore, Mac Lynch, and Matt Taylor have provided a recording that is chock-full of thoughtful meditations on Christ’s work. One of my favorite tracks is My Faith Still Clings. The text is new to me. Though it sounds like a dead guy wrote it, I was hoping the writer was still in the land of the living and would be writing more. Alas, it sounds like a dead guy wrote it because a dead guy wrote it. Too bad. Anyway, the music is fresh and fervent, and the text is stellar:

My sin is great, my strength is weak,
My path beset with snares;
But Thou, O Christ, hast died for me,
And Thou wilt hear my prayers.

Refrain
To Thee, to Thee, the Crucified,
The sinner’s only plea,
Relying on Thy promised grace,
My faith still clings to Thee.

The world is dark without Thee, Lord,
I turn me from its strife
To find Thy love a sweet relief;
Thou art the light of life.

Temptations lure and fears assail
My frail, inconstant heart;
But precious are Thy promises,
And they new strength impart.

Unfold Thy precepts to my mind,
And cleanse my blinded eyes;
Grant me to work for Thee on earth,
Then praise Thee in the skies.

As for the rest of the CD, the orchestrations are well done, and the blend of the quartet is very easy to listen to. Best of all, they sound like they sound interested, which is always a good thing. :) It’s so gospel saturated that I wonder if it’s indicative of an intentional push in that direction by the Wilds. I hope so. I don’t mean that to be a slam on other projects of theirs, which I enjoy. But the last two recordings I’ve purchased—this and the Pettit Team’s So High the Price—focus on the cross almost exclusively. The Christ-centeredness of both recordings is something to celebrate!

Creator, Redeemer, & King does have several tracks that appear on other albums (including He Lifted Me, Sing Hallelujah, It Was for Me, and Press On). I’m guessing that that’s a financial necessity, as the Wilds does it with some regularity. (Update: Not so, a tall insider who sings bass tells me.) But the vocals and harmonies on this CD are fresh enough that I don’t mind the repeats, especially of a song like He Lifted Me.

You can buy the whole thing here or—surprisingly!—buy individual tracks for $.99 here. I commend it to you. I own a lot of recordings from the Wilds. This one is already my favorite, both for the content of the selections and the musicality. Nice job, men! Thank you!