I listen to a lot of music. A whole lot. I have a subscription to Yahoo! Music Unlimited, which for a flat yearly fee allows me to download as much music as my happy little heart can handle. So over the course of a year I hear buckets of new tunes. Some of the music is good, some is mediocre, and some is nauseating.

I evaluate Christian songs on two criteria. First, are the lyrics God-centered and sound in doctrine? I want songs that are jimmy-jam packed with rich truths about God. Second, is the music any good? A song can be chock full of great lyrics and have a really lame melody. I want songs that combine glorious, God-exalting truths with heart-moving melodies.

The album You and You Alone by Pat and Joel Sczebel is loaded with songs that bring together deep truths and sweet grooves. As part of the Sovereign Grace Ministries "Overflow" series, this album was produced on a much smaller budget than a normal Sovereign Grace Music project - but you wouldn't know it.

The album starts with the electric guitar-driven song Trust in You, a passionate proclamation of God's sovereign reign over all things and our trust in Him as ruler. If the band "Sanctus Real" wrote excellent worship songs they might sound like this.

The second song, Over All, is what I like to call a suh-weet groove. The drums and guitar lay down a beat that makes you want to bob your head, and the words make you want to thrust your hands into the air in worship. Similar to the previous song, this song declares that God graciously rules over all things, including every trial and tribulation. Favorite lines?

Over all afflictions /And every storm of life / In the midst of suffering Almighty,
You reign

The fourth song, The Greatest of All, is a beauty. It's got an Isaac Watts meets Kirk Franklin feel - hymn meets black gospel. The words are outstanding as well, rejoicing in the glorious redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The first line of the chorus is, "Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it." That's how I want to respond to the glories of gospel!

The seventh song, You Are Good, is my favorite on the album. If the band "Snow Patrol" became Christians they would write worship songs like this. As the title says, this song is a joyful celebration of the goodness of God, in both salvation and in every day life. We just introduced this song on Sunday and it worked really well. You can download this song from the New Attitude website by clicking here.

The final song on the album, Jesus, You Are Beautiful, is a great example of how this album combines sound doctrine with passionate love for Jesus. The first verse tells of how Jesus opened our blind eyes to see Him. The chorus then responds to this by saying, "Jesus, You are beautiful." These are well crafted words meant to help us worship our Savior.

This album really is worth buying. It will stir your heart and move your feet. You can get it for 9.99 on the Sovereign Grace Music website by clicking here.

Some friends of mine were kind enough to interview me and my dad regarding our worship CD which was just released.

Read the interview with Tim Challies here. Read the interview with Bob Kauflin here.

The ladies over at Girl Talk were also kind to review the CD. You can read the review here.

I'm really honored that these folks cared enough to promote the CD on their blog. If you want to find out more about the CD you can go to the Sovereign Grace Ministries store. There you can buy the CD, watch a video interview with me and my dad, and see some various photos that were taken during the recording process.

I hope you enjoy it!