Search - Various Artists :: Wow Hits 2004

Not exactly WOW....more like wow

11/14/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of CCM since 1997, and a purchaser of a good deal of WOW CDs. Usually, I am impressed with the song selection and the overall mix of different styles and subgenres. It takes a great effort to get so many different styles and subgenres that encompass Christian music on one album. For the most part, I enjoy each song on its own merit. What was the disappointment for me in regards to the latest WOW offering was the sequencing of songs. On the first disc, there is too much uptempo poppy songs for me to take - and I am a definite adult contemporary fan. The second disc is much like the same, except it is all rock. I definitely dig the rock songs(rare for me), but again, it is one fast and hard song after another- different tempos are needed. I think that if the songs were more evenly distributed out along both discs, the album would be more enjoyable. As far as the songs themselves, a good 95% of them are good or great. Just better sequencing is needed. Still, WoW is the best way to sample the genre as a whole, or to discover an artist that you may not even given thought to listen to before. This is especially true if you live in a place where the CCM market is almost nonexisent, such as where I live in north east PA."

Great Music, But A Step Back, I'm Afraid.

Daniel G. Keohane | New England | 11/03/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Let me clarify one thing: my lower-than-usual rating of this collection is not due in any way to the individual songs reflected here. Each one is a brilliant piece of music, well crafted and with strong Christian messages in each. This has always been the case with the WOW series. Looking at my reviews of the other WOW anthologies, however, their attraction has always been the opportunity to sample not just mainstream, "safe" pop tunes which usually dominate the charts, but also some of the heavier tunes from the likes of Audio Adrenaline and others in their heavier, Christian Rock genre. Past collections have been a wild, enjoyable - and at times eclectic - mix of songs covering a much broader range of contemporary Christian music than in the past.







No longer, unfortunately, if WOW 2004 is an indication. With two or three small exceptions, all 30 tracks would easily fall into the Pop category. Most of the songs that might be considered "heavy" could easily also be called "disco" or "dance" music, rather than what could be labeled Normanesque rock 'n roll. Maybe I've been spoiled by the last three releases, but I fear the old conservatism is creeping back in. Wow's newest compiler(s) obviously do not have as much of a rock-n-roll bent as the late (and missed) Mr. Cunningham. Perhaps what is needed is to build a team of compilers for the next anthology, with a wider musical bent, so that WOW 2005 will once again give us the broad range of music we've come to know and appreciate -- as well as share/witness with the younger generation who invariably like their music, and their praise, a little louder."

Excellent for young adults

Cheri Berman | Purcellville, VA United States | 06/28/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Many of the songs are close to the hip-hop genre. Just a little too much funk for my taste. Lyrics are nice and geared more to the personal experience of worship than the out and out praise. Teens can identify with this album very well."