Jonathan Butler | The Worship Project
The Worship Project is a deeply personal masterwork from Jonathan Butler. It is at once a unique musical experience and an entire spiritual journey.
What is so rare and beautiful about the Worship Project is that this collection of songs never calls out to worship its creator, rather, it cries out to worship ¨The Creator.¨ I’ve listened to this CD a countless number of times and yet have never really heard it as I did while preparing for this article. This album is Mr. Butler telling the world about his road traveled in his march towards spiritual maturity. It speaks of moments of doubt, keeping the faith, encouraging others and how difficult it can be at times to be a true Christian.
If you are looking for something to make you jump out of your chair and shout, ¨Hallelujah,¨ this is probably not the CD for you. That said; if you are looking for a mature work that reveals a cure from anything that might be ailing you, find your blessing in these songs. The soft percussions and imaginative guitar strums will resonate with you for days on end. The production value is so rich you will readily identify the difference between an amateur and professional musician. The vocal arrangements have just the right touch and will never reach for anything. In summary, there is no single ¨moment¨ larger than all the others yet every component works harmoniously as if it was commissioned from Heaven itself.
At first listening you might think it simply a compilation of meditative songs but if you take the time to search the lyrics presented in each song, you will find a complete religious program at work. It’s as though he’s witnessing to a friend in “Falling in Love with Jesus” when suddenly Jesus shows up and he suddenly stops singing in third person and begins singing directly to The Master. It is a most interesting transition that I never got the first 30 or so times I listened to the track. You will find a praise service in “Lord, I Lift Your Name On High.” He teaches a new Christian how to effectively communicate with God in “When We Pray” and pronounces his final deliverance in the closing song, “You Are So Beautiful.” I could go on and on about every single song in this anthology but to do so would be a grave injustice to Mr. Butler as he clearly deserves an opportunity to have you receive his offering in the specific manner it was meant for you.
I want to personally thank Jonathan Butler for sharing such a meaningful experience with me allowing me to hear the beauty of my entire heritage through his songs of peace and tranquility. We all know what incredible range he has in his voice and yet this project is just never about him. He could have chosen to dazzle us with vocal capacity and flashy arrangements but he chose to keep the grooves really simple and soothing the whole way through. He finds this imaginative way of bridging our Motherland with the land of our Fathers in a way only accessible through a spirit having dwelled in both places. Kudos to you Mr. Butler and may we all arrive at a point along our own personal journeys culminating in the absolute conviction of, “Lord I’m Ready.“