Chris Tomlin Album: “Not to Us”

Not to Us is focused on giving God the glory, praise, and thanks He deserves. It's about recognizing God as the Creator and the Master.

Chris Tomlin is an anointed worship leader, genuine songwriter, and talented musician. He has been involved with the Passion and One Day albums and is known for songs, such as "Famous One," "Indescribable," and "How Great Is Our God," which are all Bible-based. Chris Tomlin's songs are sung directly to the Lord; they are a dialogue and come from the heart. Chris Tomlin is one of my favorite worship leaders, and if you like his style, check out albums by Tim Hughes, Chris Joyner, Matt Redman, Delirious?, Passion Worship Band, and David Crowder Band.

Synopsis of Songs:

Everything-The theme of this driving song is "every perfect gift comes from You."

Enough-This dynamic song is popular on Christian radio and cries out the theme: God is more than enough for me.

Not to Us-This song focuses on giving God all the praise: "not to us, but to Your name be the glory." It exclaims, "it's all for You," and has a similar beat to the first song on the album.

Wonderful Maker-This light tune contains vivid lyrics and describes the Father of Creation and our Father; Chris Tomlin sings about how the Majestic God created the earth, how He sent His Son to the earth, and how He whispers to us as His children.

Famous One-This is a popular song, being played on Christian radio and sung in many churches. It has a unique rhythm in 6/8-time. It is energetic and gives God the praise.

Come Let Us Worship-I love this simple song of invitation to worship.

The River-This high-energy song refers to being soaked and cleansed in the river of God.

Unchanging-This worship song refers to God's unchanging nature and His faithfulness.

Come Home Running-This is a quiet, folky song and has a Michael W. Smith feel. It encourages the prodigals to "come home running."

Overflow-This song questions, "Where would I be without You?" and talks about how God fills his children.

I don't know how Chris Tomlin keeps doing it. This album is one that sets the standard for modern worship music. You've probably heard almost half this album already in worship services everywhere. "Not to Us" is one of my all-time favorite songs, powerful, rockin', and shades of U2. "Come Home Running" is a beautiful, thoughtful song that is the opposite in tempo but an equal in quality. I'm astonished by the variety of songs on this album and it has to be one of my all-time favorites of this genre. You can't go wrong.

OK, this has to be one of the best worship albums ever. Every song on the album has truth and is honoring to God. I especially like "Enough".

Yes, David Crowder Band is my favorite to listen to, but this is the ultimate in corporate worship. A praise and worship band could easily do a whole set of just these songs and the crowd would sing along loud with every word. My favorites include: Enough, Not To Us, Wonderful Maker, Famous One, Unchanging, and Come Home Running. But let's face it, there's not one bad song on here. And judging how good "Arriving" was, Chris Tomlin has proven that he is the real deal. He has a great voice, great song structure, and you will always find a bible-centered message. This CD is timeless and I will have it forever (or until the CD disintegrates from being overplayed!).

Chris Tomlin is best known for his work on the Passion worship projects. His songs have appeared on the two I COULD SING OF YOUR LOVE FOREVER collections, and his first album, THE NOISE WE MAKE, highlighted his songwriting talent and ear for accessibility. There are many fine songwriters giving us new worship songs today, but Tomlin's songs are especially melodic and easy to sing to and, let's face it, just plain fun most of the time. NOT TO US personifies all that is great about Tomlin's music. I generally prefer live worship albums but this is a great exception. The album opens with a bang and holds on to the level of energy and passion through the final cut. And unlike some worship-oriented music out there these songs are not only well written but lend themselves ideally to the corporate worship setting.

The better songs include "Famous One," which speaks to the glory of God, "Unchanging," a song of adoration, and "Enough," which expresses the desire to let God truly satisfy your deepest longings. The title track is particularly well done, turning the focus of what we do in worship away from us and back towards God, much like Redman's "Heart of Worship."

There is a plethora of modern worship album now available. At times it seems almost overwhelming, and a bit sad when you consider that some seem to be doing it for the easy sales (contrary to the "Not To Us" message). Tomlin isn't one of them. And from a critical standpoint, on NOT TO US he has also raised his game. Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Shane Barnard, Charlie Hall... all great lead worshipers and songwriters. But for my money modern worship doesn't get any better than Tomlin's work. NOT TO US is the best of the bunch and the church should be viewing many of these songs as standards in the years to come. I give it a solid Five Stars.