SOARING VOCALS PROPEL SEASONED WORSHIP LEADER

In keeping with the times, pioneering worship label Vineyard Music introduced its Varietal imprint to catch up to the artist-driven nature of the American worship scene. In the past, the label was content with simply introducing songs for the church, never individual worship leaders, but the times they are a-changin’.

Though new to Varietal, worship leader Sheri Carr is a seasoned vocalist for Vineyard—10 years worshipping with them and counting. But not too fast: Carr’s national debut, Fearless Now, is fiercer and more radio-friendly than anything she’s recorded in the past, coming across like a caffeinated, high-powered version of Passion’s Christy Nockels…and then some.

The Nockels comparison isn’t too farfetched. The project was helmed by Christy’s husband, Nathan Nockels, a longtime Passion collaborator and worshipper who knows a thing or two about producing worshipful pop acts. Carr herself is one heck of a pop singer, a powerhouse who can soar to insurmountable heights in one song (“Sing Your Praise”) only to deliver a fragile prayer in the next (“Just as the Angels”).

The latter is perhaps Fearless Now’s most congregational tune—most everything else is too performance-oriented to leave a mark in corporate set lists. Still, the album packs enough emotional punch and is carried by such a strong vocal from Carr, one can readily forgive the fact that, more often than not, the tunes are melodic to the point of overload.

–Andree Farias