The flood of “modern worship” records continues, though it may have slowed to a drizzle. Aside from the few artists somewhat steeped in the “genre” (Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, etc.), many have tried their hand at “worship” releases, some to greater success than others.

And so arrives the newest “worship” installment from Caedmon’s Call: In The Company of Angels II (The World Will Sing). Having sold some 250,000 units, In The Company of Angels is by far the bands biggest commercial success, but the question immediately poses itself: was the initial release worthy of a follow-up? If it was, is the follow-up worthy of its predecessor?

This album comes as Tree63 frontman John Ellis tells Christianity Today in a recent interview that ” the modern phenomenon of “modern worship” dampens creativity amongst music-making Christians.” Ellis goes on to argue that “Modern worship has become a unit-shifting genre of contemporary Christian music,” which returns us to the album at hand to ask the question: has Caedmon’s Call put forth an honest, creative product, or have they come to “unit-shifting?”

The album focuses well on congregational-friendly, theologically rich selections. If anything, it must be said that the Caedmon’s Call worship discs reinforce the need for quality content; after all, we’re singing the words, which Caedmon’s shows much respect for, drawing from traditional hymnody, Chinese hymns and originals, all of which are squarely God-centered. The words continually reinforce the theme of God’s glory in all of life; something in and of itself that often difficult to find. The themes of grace and mercy run strong which is refreshing amidst so much man-centered theology, especially in music.

The band plays well and the melodies are good, once again proving that Caedmon’s Call has rightly earned their large fanbase. This is a good Caedmon’s Call release, but that’s just part of the problem. It’s ultimately just another Caedmon’s Call release, lacking the innovation that drew so many to Share the Well and lacking in international flavor seen in light of the title itself, it musically has little to do with the rest of the world. They play well to their strengths, but to little else. It’s a very “comfortable” release, but I’m not sure that’s ultimately what they were striving for.

As Russ Breimeier of Christianity Today notes: “These songs are pleasant with nothing to dislike, but there’s also little to become enthusiastic about.” In the end, this is a solid Caedmon’s Call release at a time when we’ve come to expect more, even of them, it plays well to their strengths, but feels like it’s already been done, which it has and by them. While it’s hard to fault the band for their heart for theologically sound worship, one’s left wishing they had simply spiced up the presentation a bit, especially when they’ve proven capable.

• Visit Caedmon’s Call’s official website.
• Purchase In The Company of Angels II: The World Will Sing.
• Read Christianity Today’s review.