When it comes to music, I tend to think, "if it ain't an 80s rock ballad, why bother?" As I tweeted this morning, some music never dies. (And, yes, my iPhone reflects my taste.)

My taste in music accounts for the low incidence of music related posts here at edstetzer.com (total thus far is zero). But a few weeks ago at Advance 09, I bumped into my friends from the music ministry at Sojourn Community Church (sojournmusic.com) who passed a copy of their new CD on to me. Then, I saw them again at the B21 panel and I thought that their new CD warranted a mention.

I had the privilege or recruiting and then coaching Daniel Montgomery, the church's planter and pastor almost nine years ago. Since then, they've been missionally engaged in their city through a variety of initiatives including an arts center and an urban renewal initiative. Their work with creatives has resulted in a music ministry that's garnered attention from Christianity Today, a host of bloggers, and yours truly.

Their newest record is a collection of songs that were "inspired by and adapted from" the hymns of Isaac Watts. The result is an album that has contextualized the old English puritan's rich theology in a sound that is far from the typical fodder on Christian radio. The sound of the album is at times aggressive - much like the texts themselves, and this captures the spirit of the young urban crowd at Sojourn.

The record is well done. It's a vibrant work of art coming from an evangelical, reformed, theologically-driven church, it's a gospel-centered project that has been picked up by a major label, and it's a grass-roots project that comes straight from the church. Every person who contributed to the recording was a member at Sojourn.

I would have to wonder if some of the songs would fly well at most churches, and how folks might be able to sing along with some of the more wild melodies, but most of the songs seem accessible to a worship leader with a guitar and a little creative imagination. Some also might question the value in "messing" with Watts, who is considered by some to be one of the best English-speaking poets of all time.

The folks at Sojourn say that they're only continuing his work. Watts was inspired to write hymns when he became convicted that people didn't understand the words of the songs they sung, and it only makes sense to continue to take pains to help people understand the depths of the Gospel that gives us a reason to sing. Fair enough. I think their effort worked well.

If nothing else, it's a great listen - creative and wide-ranging music that celebrates the cross of Christ. The CD is available exclusively from their blog, sojournmusic.com and will be available through other outlets this fall.