From the quoting of Psalm 136 to the testimony and prayers interwoven with songs, “I Made It” is an authentic worship experience. The worshiping life of the intentionally multi-ethnic Sunrise Church of California is captured on this project which leans heavily towards the black gospel end of the music spectrum. Most of the songs are arranged for choir and soloist to minister to the saints, but there are moments that feel more congregational, notably on “Alpha and Omega” and “To Our God.”

While the production quality and musicality is high for a church project, the cd is not pretentious. It blends cultures subtly with the occasional distorted electric guitar solo over a more traditional sounding gospel instrumentation. And generations converge with the participation from the church’s children’s choir on “I Need You To Survive.”

And now for my favorite tracks… have a listen!

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“Who Is Like The Lord?” I love the live feel and tight groove of this song. The gutsy and joyful male lead vocal blends well with the creative harmonies and rhythms of the choir. Some great ear candy! In between sections of laughter and celebration, the smooth female lead takes us to a totally peaceful place. The verses are very singable, even congregational and the lyrics are based loosely off some of my favorite verses of Romans 8.

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The familiar title track “I Made It” invites the listener to think about how far God has brought them and to celebrate that by singing along on the chorus. The choir vocals are clean and clear, very sweet. (Maybe a bit too sweet at times? In my opinion, the words “heartache” and “depression” merit a bit more of a groan.) But, the soloist is convincing and really makes you feel the words that are being expressed. A choir could easily use this recording to learn the song, as each part is clearly distinguishable. I’ve had this song stuck in my head (gladly!) for the last several days.