Sonicflood: Gold

Sonicflood's 2004 two CD release Gold is actually a reissue of the two albums by the original band featuring lead vocalist Jeff Deyo, who has grown in recent years as a worship leader on his own. Gold features both the studio album Sonicflood (originally released in 1999) and the live record SonicPraise (2000), with the addition of several bonus tracks to make this set a collector's item.

Disc One is the studio album, which provides a masterful blend of rock, pop and even alternative with praise & worship lyrics added to create an outstanding rock worship project. The CD opens with a prayer by lead vocalist Jeff Deyo, who invites the listener to join the band in worshiping God. Several popular praise and worship songs of the late 1990's are featured, including "Open the Eyes of My Heart," "I Want to Know You (In the Secret)," "Holiness" and "The Heart of Worship," which is my personal favorite track. Lisa Kimmey from Out of Eden joins Deyo for a duet as they cover "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever" by Delirious. Deyo and his band also take the old Bill Gaither classic "There's Something About That Name" and give it a fresh, modern acoustic arrangement. Deyo also has several original songs of his own on this disc, including "Carried Away," "Holy One," "My Refuge" and the ballad "I Need You." Disc One contains four bonus tracks, including an excellent acoustic version of "I Want to Know You," plus an acoustic remix of "My Refuge." Deyo also contributes a couple of solo tracks, including "Bless the Lord" and a new studio version of "These Hands."

Disc Two brings us SonicPraise, the live offering from Jeff Deyo and Sonicflood, recorded during performances in Nashville, Tennessee and at Holland's Flevo Festival in 1999. This CD showcases the band's great live sound and serves up some outstanding praise & worship gems. The band opens with "Open the Eyes of My Heart," which is one of my favorite worship songs, and the band manages to get the crowd into it as well. Although I personally think it would have been better to open with "I Have Come to Worship," then go into either "Open the Eyes..." or "I Want to Know You." Some other outstanding tracks include the Deyo originals "Carried Away," "Holy One," plus "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High" and covers of two Delirious songs--"Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?" and "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever," on which Jeff duets with Out of Eden's Lisa Kimmey. This disc has only one bonus track--a cover of Michael W. Smith's "Agnus Dei"--added at the end of the CD.

If you're a fan of Sonicflood or Jeff Deyo, and you already have both the Sonicflood and SonicPraise CD's, the only reason you have to buy the Gold set is for the bonus tracks. If you're a newcomer to Sonicflood's or Jeff Deyo's music, Gold is a great introduction to both. Altogether, Gold is a great chronicle of the original Sonicflood lineup, and to the beginning of Jeff Deyo's ministry as a worship leader.