Matt McCoy – Raise the Flag Again
I first came across Matt McCoy when I was looking for independent Christian artists to include on the soundtracks of my upcoming video sermons and was immediately impressed by the songs he has written and recorded. Well I suppose I should be as he is currently the worship leader at Willow Creek Community Church, the mega church where Bill Hybels preaches; with that said how could we expect anything less than excellence?
I’m not one for listening to much Praise and Worship and if I do I prefer stuff like Delirious?, Hillsong United, Sonicflood, and the like; call it Praise-Rock if you will. And I’m happy to say this CD fits right into that category.
Raise the Flag Again sounds somewhat like early Delirious? and, although Matt McCoy is, according to his bio, 100% American, this CD has a real Brit-pop-rock feel to it. IMHO, Matt McCoy and band have recorded one of the finest examples of modern worship I have heard in the last few years; the last P&W CD to blow me away like this was Hillsong United’s “To the Ends of the Earth.”
From the opener “Revelation Generation” (my favorite cut, one that will have you singing along) to the final track, “Infinite Praise,” this CD is a blessing to listen to, and after listening to this CD a few times I wouldn’t be surprised if Matt McCoy gets signed up by a major record label and churches everywhere begin to sing his songs during Sunday worship.
The production is surprisingly good for an independently produced CD and sounds awesome played loud in the car. Every track comes through nice and clear and I’m glad to say that because this is a studio CD (as opposed to the many live worship CD’s out there) the vocals are out front in the mix allowing us, the listeners, to hear every word Matt is singing.
As for the content; the lyrics are focused on Jesus and our walk with him. The lyrics tend to be deeper than a lot of the “Jesus and me” focused worship released over the past few years. For example, the lyrics of “What If”… “Help me to stand, help me be real, Help me to feel the wounds you feel, What would it take for this heart to break for you, I’m longing to be, I’m willing to find, Deeper meaning in this life, What would it take for this heart to break, It’s the mystery, of what my life could be…” I don’t know about you, but this is the prayer of my heart.
Raise the Flag Again is a big sound album and plays like the soundtrack for a whole new generation of sold-out hardcore believers everywhere. In fact, listening to this CD it’s not too hard to imagine stadiums filled with the “Revelation Generation” not only praising God, but seeking him for direction, purpose, and deeper meaning. It’s music like this that inspires people to want to further their walk with the Lord; this CD makes me feel totally hardcore about my faith, my walk, and my God.
And that in and of itself is reason enough to purchase this CD. I highly recommend this CD, which costs a lot less than the major label CD’s ($10 from Matt’s own website… see link below), and although there is only 7 tracks there are no “waste of space” filler cuts. That is if you don’t include track 8, a disco re-mix of “Revelation Generation,” the only track that I didn’t like as it just didn’t fit with the rest of the album; I simply pretend it’s not there and skip it all together.
I hope it’s not too long before Matt McCoy raises the flag again, and i have a feeling it won’t be.
Christian St John
November, 2008
