Level Ground, the new album from Brian Doersken (writer of Come Now Is The Time To Worship , Refiner s Fire ), is in stores February 22nd, 2011. I heard Brian speak recently at Integrity s Seminars For Worship conference when it passed through Durham, NC in November of this year. Brian spoke about Real Worship . It was refreshing to hear his heart on the topic of worship. I also took the opportunity to attend his songwriting session which was excellent. Brian s music is deep, and I think it takes several listens before you can begin to appreciate the message and truth contained within. This is not your run-of-the-mill worship album. There are 13 songs on the album and not all the songs are for congregation singing, but instead to facilitate a time of soaking , for example, Enter The Rest Of God. However there are others that would work very well like Welcome To The Place Of Level Ground and The Jesus Way. The intro to the title track Welcome To The Place Of Level Ground is massive like a celtic 007 mashup. There are a few older songs making an appearance on the album like Everything (God In My Living), Here Is Love (which I love), and Give Thanks. The real gem in this project is the DVD release. With the DVD you get to experience visually the heart behind the project. Brian states, On the film version you are placed right in the middle of our gathering; you hear and see the music happen all around you. You witness the 8 by 14 painting emerge. But beyond the music and the painting, perhaps best of all, you get to hear and see the grace stories. For me that s the highlight of this project.  For me, the DVD is a must have. I love the vision behind this. I love the stories of life change, hope and grace that is told through the people involved in this unique worship experience. --alastairvance.comAward-winning Canadian worship leader/songwriter, Brian Doerksen, recently released his latest CD/DVD worship project, entitled Level Ground. Brian is the writer of such classics as Come, Now Is the Time To Worship , Hope of the Nations , Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing) , Holy One , and many others! This is Brian s sixth album released with Integrity Music, and includes many new original songs written by Doerksen, and also several co-writes with Paul Baloche, Kathryn Scott, and others. Brian says the inspiration for this album comes from Isaiah 40, which says: Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.   God s heart as Father longs to embrace us all and place us on level ground! Brian says. Through Him, we can all experience grace that transforms. My hope and prayer is that is exactly what you will experience as you listen to these songs and stories!  I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the songs on this unique worship project, and there were several standouts. The title song Welcome to the Place of Level Ground , is one that Brian co-wrote with Paul Baloche. I love the contemporary, Celtic-sounding intro to this song, especially as it builds into the opening verse of this song. The lyrics on the verses lay out our need for a Savior, then the pre-chorus and chorus celebrate Jesus, our God of grace. It s a perfect setup for the entire album, putting the focus on our need for mercy. Another song that captured my attention was Will You Love Me In The Winter , a song that Brian actually spoke about in his recent interview with All About Worship. The idea for this song actually came to Brian over 10 years ago when he was walking through London, England in the fall and a leaf fell past him on its way to the ground. He had the idea then for a song about the dark nights of our soul and about growing old physically, but didn t feel it was the right time. Now, 10 years later, the idea came back to him as he was putting this project together. He wanted to include a song of honest lament and pain, and this song perfectly paints the picture of the questions that come to our mind when our trees are bare and we feel like we have nothing to give. When my body breaks, when my thoughts have failed, will You love me still?  There are many other great songs on this album, including a new version of the Tim Hughes song Everything , and perhaps my favorite song on the project Whatever Comes , a powerful, energetic song about how we can trust our Sovereign God. But, to get the full effect of this project, you also really need to take a look at the accompanying DVD. Brian wanted to produce a live recording that placed the musicians and singers among the people and embraced the intimacy and simplicity of a small group while reserving the stage for people to share stories of grace. The DVD captures all of that, and puts you in the center of it all. Brian says of the DVD, On the film version you are placed right in the middle of our gathering; you hear and see the music happen all around you. You witness an 8 by 14 painting that captures the concept of level ground as it emerges. But beyond the music and the painting, perhaps best of all, you get to hear and see the grace stories. For me that s the highlight of this project.  Level Ground is a CD/DVD project that you ll definitely want to pick up, and one that is an excellent tool for your private or corporate times of worship as you celebrate God s grace and mercy! --allaboutworship.comOk, to be honest, when Integrity sent me the Level Ground set a few months ago, I was kind of like, "Oh, hey. Brian Doerksen. Um, yeah. That's mighty Vineyard." I mean, who doesn't love "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" and all, but I'm more of a four-on-the-floor and electric guitars kind of guy.  But, being the dutiful music reviewer that I am, I ripped the CD to my mp3 player and gave 'er a listen. I heard some good stuff, nice worship songs, skillful production and all that. But, it really wasn't my cup of tea. All that changed when I popped the DVD in.  This joint is brilliant, in execution, but especially in concept. At the beginning, you're in a car with Brian as he drives up to some small garage or workshop in the wood somewhere, presumably western Canada. There are some scenes of guys working inside the building, and then the fun starts. What's going on seems to be a small worship service. The room fills with 40-50 people. There is a stage. There are instruments. But here is the thing: the band isn't on the stage. They are down on the floor with the crowd. And they are facing the same way.  Imagine being in a church, and the worship band came down and joined the congregation. They just happened to have instruments. But everyone was all doing the same thing, worshiping God from - wait for it - level ground. We did something similar last year, but I'd love to do this. But wait, there's more. Around the room there are different things going on. There are artists painting a large canvas in one corner. There are flags. Yes, worship flags! What? Awesome! Interspersed with the songs, Brian goes on stage and interviews various band members and artists about their faith, relationships, pasts - all kinds of things. Admittedly, Brian is not the most skilled interviewer in the world, but some of the responses were so genuine and compelling I couldn't stop watching. All of this serves to give me new appreciation for the songs on the album. Now, when I listen, my mind's eye sees the room, the crowd, the paintings, even the flags. This is, turns out, good stuff indeed. --mikeymo1741.blogspot.com