Published on Jan 22, 1999
Kim Hill’s singing is like a head of foam on a frosty mug of
root beer in mid-July: smooth, tasty and somehow
soul-energizing.
And like the satisfaction that comes from a really good root
beer, Hill’s songs keep coming back to the listener over time
bringing with them that same satisfied feeling. This is not an
album that gets old with repeated listenings – but rather, it
improves.
Arms Of Mercy is this talented singers second album of
praise and worship music since her return to contemporary Christian
music in 1997 with
The Fire Again. While still as worshipful as that release,
this new package also harks back to Hill’s previous — and best —
album,
Brave Heart (1991), with many more up tempo, guitar-driven
rock and roll songs.
Worshipful rock and roll? Yes, indeedy do! She gets things off
to a rockin’ start with the one- two-punch of the first single
“Committed To The Call” and “Rain Of Your Mercy”. Both are
excellent examples of how rock and roll can be praise music and
that the Devil doesn’t have all the good music!
You know this is a true rock and roll album by the presence of
rock queen Ashley Cleveland on “Committed To The Call”. Cleveland
herself is nominated for a Grammy this year in the Best Rock Gospel
Album for her live set
You Are There. (Watch for a review right here! Same rock
time, same rock channel.) Cleveland’s coarse vocals contribute
exquisitely to the gritty sound Hill achieves on the song.
Then, in “Rain Of Your Mercy”, Hill sings about the undeserved
mercy God showers on her at various times in her life:
Now, I’ve always heard about Your greatness/How
showers of life flow from Your heart
Your death on the cross proves how much You love
me/But I’m still surprised at how good You are
In the depths of my sin/Your mercy comes in/And shows
me the depths of Your love
And it humbles my heart, tears me apart/Moves me to
thank You my friend
For the rain of Your mercy.
Hill rarely writes her own songs, but when she sings a song you
believe that she’s lived it and would have written it if given
time. While she may not have the confidence to pen an album’s worth
of songs, she has the taste to pick songs that not only showcase
her talents, but speak to some serious issues: turning from God
(“Hold Me Close”), Jesus Christ’s second coming (“Shake The
Heavens”), and, appropriate to our times, the appearance that evil
is winning, (“Show The Way”).
But it’s not all rock and roll heaven. There are also plenty of
praise songs which Hill’s creamy alto caresses with the awe of one
who has seen her own unworthiness in the light of God’s glory. One
such song is the album’s centerpiece, “You Are Still Holy”.
Here, in a song by Rita Springer, Hill captures the truth that
no one, no not one, is worthy of God’s mercy because of sin.
Lord, I don’t deserve Your kind affection
When my unbelief has kept me from Your touch
I want my life to be a pure reflection of Your
love
And so I come into Your chamber
And I dance at Your feet, Lord/You are my Savior
And I am at your mercy.
For the last few years, Hill has served as a worship leader for
the Renew Your Heart women’s conferences. Three of the songs on
this project reflect that participation, including “You Are Still
Holy,” “You Alone” and “Up To The Moon”.
The latter song, which closes the album, is a lullaby of sorts
Hill did write for her sons, Graham and Benjamin. The words show
her mother’s heart:
I love you up to the moon/And I love you as big as
the sky
I love to watch you when you sleep/I love to hold you
when you cry.
Corny? Surely – but in Hill’s understated delivery is the simple
truth of motherhood: No one ever loves you like your Mom. This is a
song for parents along the lines of Bob Carlisle’s humongous 1997
hit “Butterfly Kisses,” but not quite the sentimental sobfest that
song was.