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One word sums up this CD: inspiring.

Now come some words of explanation to round out that one word. Rita Springer  has a heart for worship, and it’s always shown through in her recordings. For her latest project, she decided to take a bit of a different path. Rather than take her songs into the studio and put together a CD, she decided the time was right for a rough and ready, raw and unpolished, live worship recording.

Recorded in Springer’s “Fragrant Oil” women’s conferences, this CD contains mostly original songs. These new songs include the upbeat sing-along “I Want the Joy,” as well as the narrative “This Was Good,” which deals with the creation account.

One of my favorite tracks on the CD is Stuart Townend’s hymn, “In Christ  Alone.” Springer melds a modern hymn with a more traditional one, “Nothing But the Blood,” and comes up with a song nothing short of phenomenal.

The feeling and spirit of worship is all over this recording. It is a superb choice for those times of personal worship. Also, while Springer’s conferences, and this CD by extension, are primarily targeted at women, this is an album that will resonate with many people, both female and male. It has inspired me to spend more time with God. Any album that does that is 
guaranteed a spot in my playlist.

Josh Marihugh 5/17/2004

Reviewer Confession:  Can I say without getting bricks thrown at me that there is a lot of praise and worship type music out there that I just can’t get into?  My wife listens to a lot of the current praise crop, but I have found precious few that have grabbed me.  Give me Rock ‘n’ Roll Worship Circus, Waterdeep, Keith Green, or Kemper Crabb medieval praise all day long to fulfill my worship and I am a happy camper.

Occasionally a worship project comes along that causes me to take notice.  Rita Springer’s latest Rise Up has done just that…causing me to “rise up” and hit the repeat button multiple times on the CD player.  Ms. Springer is one of the strongest female worship vocalists today, and her distinctive vocals are the centerpiece of this project.  The musical backdrop is tasty—with moments of jazz, rock, and some funky bits thrown in for good measure.  The production is clean for a live project, and the band is tight but not flashy or distracting.  Rita’s vocals and piano prowess provide a welcome entryway to a satisfying time of worship.  Highlights include "Rise Up" and "Deep Calls to Deep"—the latter with a rousing vocal performance from Rita.   

I think I may have found a worship CD that my wife and I can both agree on!

Barry Nothstine  5/17/2004