Created To Worship – Harris Family

GRADE:  C+

• Album – Created To Worship
• Artist – Harris Family
• Label – Independent
• Style – Progressive, MOR
• Release Date – February 2012
• Available For Digital Download? – No

SYNOPSIS:

Created To Worship is my first introduction to the music of the Harris Family.  A family trio based in Texas, the Harris Family consists of Roger Harris, his wife Sue Harris and their daughter Kristen Harris Johnson.

Members Sue Harris and Kristen Johnson were writers of six of the twelve songs on Created To Worship.  Noted Southern Gospel writers Chris Allman, Twila Labar, Sue Smith and Terry Wilkins also contributed to this new effort.

The Harris Family meld progressive Southern Gospel harmonies with some light CCM and Praise & Worship stylings to create the foundation of music found on Created To Worship.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Harris Family have a unique enough sound to allow the listener to become familiar with them quickly.  Their nice family harmonies and style I would most closely relate to the style of a group like the Crist Family.
• The group is at their strongest when doing ensemble work on those progressive style Southern Gospel numbers.
• Daughter Kristen Johnson has a pleasant tone and turns in two of the best performances on Created To Worship.  ”Only You Can Wear The Crown” and “I’m Praisin’ Jesus” would make great radio single choices.  The first, a nice Southern Gospel style ballad and the second is a nice Southern Gospel style up-tempo number.
• Strongest songs included in order:  ”Only You Can Wear The Crown”, “I’m Praisin’ Jesus”, “Be Glorified (Jenny’s Song)”, “The Father Has A Plan” and “Message Of The Cross”.

DISLIKES:

• I’m on board with the many styles that encompass the Southern Gospel umbrella, but when modern Praise & Worship tend to invade Southern Gospel recordings it takes away from the overall appeal of the recording.
• As a result, several of the P&W style tracks on Created To Worship sound like Church music; meaning it doesn’t sound any different from the P&W sounds you get at any modern worship service on any given Sunday.
• Weakest songs included in order:  ”That’s Why I Worship You”, “Jesus Changed My Life” and “I Was Created To Worship The Lord”.

SONG/FEATURED VOCALIST – SONGWRITER:  1. “I Was Created To Worship The Lord”/Ensemble – Chris Allman  2. “All Things New”/Sue Harris – Sue Harris, Kristen Johnson  3. “Only You Can Wear The Crown”/Kristen Johnson – Neil Dumas, Clay Winskie  4. “Open Up The Sky”/Roger Harris – Jeromy Deibler, Brian Smith  5. “I’m Praisin’ Jesus”/Kristen Johnson – Kristen Johnson  6. “Be Glorified (Jenny’s Song)”/Sue Harris – Sue Harris  7. “That’s Why I Worship You”/Kristen Johnson – Twila Labar, Sue Smith  8. “Jesus Changed My Life”/Ensemble – Sue Harris  9. “The Father Has A Plan”/Kristen Johnson, Roger Harris – Kristen Johnson  10. “Psalm 116″/Ensemble – Kristen Johnson  11. “Testimony Of Grace”/Sue Harris – Heath Kirkwood  12. “Message Of The Cross”/Roger Harris – Sue Smith, Terry Wilkins