Recent reviews of Take My Life
Southern Cross Magazine:
“Several factors contributed to my excitement after hearing the recent album; Take My LIfe by Garage Hymnal. Firstly, it works! It achieves its goal of providing songs that can be used as youth congregational music. The band is certainly aware that we no longer live in the 80s and has produced modern music that is easy to play and 'ready to use'. Secondly, the album is accompanied by a brilliant website, www.garagehymnal.com. With sheet music, backing tracks and articles on church music it is clear that this band has bigger things in mind than just putting out an album.
Finally the album uncovers the huge musical depth our churches in Sydney have been holding. With powerful, driving rock tunes like ‘Lord Above’ by Lynda Thoms and 'Holding On To Me' by Andy Judd balanced with the beautiful reflection of 'On that day' by Greg Cooper, this album promises to be the first of what I hope to be many contributions to our churches by this young and vibrant musical collaboration”
– Craig Tubman, Southern Cross Magazine, Anglican Media Sydney August 2006, p26. Reproduced with permission. Click here for PDF file.
Journey Magazine:
"Garage Hymnal’s debut CD is an 'impressive' contribution to the worship song repertoire available to the Australian Christian church for a number of reasons. Take My Life is a collective work with its origins in 2004 in the band assembled for Sydney University’s Evangelical Union Annual Conference. The attractively packaged CD makes the right connections with the young adult age group and the CD owner can access the band website (www.garagehymnal.com) and downloaded lead sheets and piano arrangements for the 13 worship songs.
'Impressive' describes the diversity of scripture used as the basis for most of the songs. Unlike some other ‘stables’ for contemporary worship songs in Australia, Garage Hymnal are prepared to tap into a broader range of scripture.
'Impressive' is the range of styles from distorted, ‘grungy’ rockers to reflective acoustic guitar-backed ballads. Similarly impressive is the opportunity to sing some full-on songs in the 'Hillsong United' or 'Planet Shakers' style which express through the use of 'we' and 'us' what it means to be a community of Christ, not just a collection of individual believers. If your congregation is blessed with a thriving rock-band or you simply want some new music to encourage your young people, Take My Life offers something quite 'impressive'."
- David MacGregor, Review originally printed in Journey Magazine, July 2006. Reproduced with permission. Click here for web version.
