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I know that we always say that the industry is becoming too populated with worship leaders who are trying to make it in CCM.  At least to me, every once and a while I stumble into a worship album that grabs me by the ears and draws me right in.  A good example of that was Among Thorn’s 2002 release, Draw Near.   Abandon, the debut album from New Orleans’ native Jason Morant, did just that. 

Worship that is piano based, lush, and energetic isn’t anything new to listeners.  Morant just happens to pull it off quite well.  I was first exposed to Morant last year when he led the worship at a conference I attended.  I was quite impressed then, just as I am now.  Stylistically, there are obvious comparisons to Coldplay and Travis.  Morant’s voice does remind me quite a bit of Mark Hammitt of Sanctus Real.  That’s definitely a good thing.  

“You Give Me Life” starts the album out well with energy.  Morant does a good job of mixing the disc up.  By the third song, we’ve heard a good, upbeat rocker, a midtempo song, then a slower, more worshipful ballad.  Morant even goes back a few decades and covers “I Love You Lord.”  He hits the mark quite well with a Coldplay-inspired arrangement of the popular worship tune.  It’s definitely is the most original version of the song that I’ve ever heard.  Morant’s covers of the Among Thorns songs “Bless the Lord” and “There is No One” fit nicely with the overall feel of the album.  He doesn’t change either up much though, which would have been nice to see to gain some extra points for originality.

Jason Morant has produced a pretty decent worship album that any fan of Coldplay, Travis, or even U2 should check out.  Not cheesy at all and quite original in places, I totally recommend this album to the listener who’s looking for a new worship album to place into their CD rotation.  

Zach Delph 6/9/2004
http://www.zeejaydeedesign.com