Starfield remains the most popular worship band from Canada, although they're based in Nashville these days. I Will Go delivers the expected sound, similar to Leeland, By The Tree and SONICFLOOd. The Neufeld brothers (Tim on vocals and guitar, Jon on lead guitar) and their new rhythm section have been touring heavily over the years.
The opening song, "From The Corners of the Earth" is a rocking anthem that ties in nicely to the album's theme:
From the corners of the earth / we will sing of your great worth / and around the world proclaim / Our God reigns
The tough thing about being a "modern worship band" is that after millions of songs have been published with lyics about lifting our hands, falling on our knees, God's greatness and so on, it's almost impossible to be original. Starfield compensates with a passionate delivery and the ability to include songs on each album that are well-suited to corporate worship.
Their new tour began with the floor collapsing during a concert in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Several people were hurt by the fall into the basement, but as Tim wrote on the band's blog:
"The last time we were here was the day after the Abbotsford stop on the ‘I will go’ tour… The day after the floor gave way…. that day was alot of things for us - but mostly - it was a re-alignment… or maybe better put, a reckoning… to the urgency of the moment. Of all the ways that we were trying to communicate the message behind ‘i will go’ … speaking to our generation’s ‘indifference’ to the lost and poor… talking about the blinding nature of own privilege… singing about the illusion of our safety in North America, and our general apathy towards the things of God… NOTHING could have spoken louder to these things than the floor falling out from under us in the thick of our worship. God revealed to those in the room (and so many more) in a matter of seconds just how sovereign He is…. and in turn how precious, and utterly gifted to us each breath we breathe really is."
That perspective influences how Starfield writes and will continue to spread their message of God's sovereignty as found in "Great In All The World:"
The world is Yours and everything in it / It's all at Your command / There is no end to Your domain / The planets shake the galaxies tremble / They turn within Your hand / There is no end to Your domain / No height or depth You don't sustain / Great in all the earth is Your glory oh God / The universe declares how amazing You are / Over history and eternity You alone are Lord and King
I Will Go will be well-receved by Starfield's fans. If you haven't heard them but you enjoy modern worship with an emphasis on God's glory and power, check out this CD.
Visit Starfield.