EP Review: Mac Powell – Live From Red Rocks

Of course, you know Mac Powell as the former frontman of the iconic band THIRD DAY. But his accolades don’t stop with the popular band’s music; his unmistakable, smokey, expressive vocals come to life in his latest live recording, Live From Red Rocks.

Powell says, “While I love making records, my favorite part of this job has always been touring and singing along with fans in person…” “I’ve played Red Rocks four times throughout my career, but last year was the first time I performed at the historic venue as a solo artist AND I got to play with my daughter, son, and son-in-law. It was such a special night that I wanted to share it with everyone. I’m so excited for you to relive this special night with us at Red Rocks.”

Music and Production

The live album is a delightful bundle of 7 songs from Powell’s latest albums, New Creation, a few tried and true Third Day hits, and even a Fleetwood Mac cover. You’ll be entertained with a bit of Powell’s on-stage humor and just enough crowd noise to make you feel like you’re actually there.

The album was recorded as a part of last year’s 2022 K-Love Presents Live at Red Rocks and includes the following tracks:

1. Soul On Fire
2. New Creation
3. Flood Waters
4. God of Wonders (feat. Andrew Ripp)
5. Request Time (Acoustic Medley
6. Don’t Stop
7. River of Life

Powell has a gift for live music. The album feels musically flawless but not over-produced. It certainly gives you a taste of what a live Powell concert feels like; a mix of fun, worship, family, and great music.

Live music can be hard to mix well, but this album has a nice blend of out-front, clear vocals, instrumentation, and driving rhythm, all sprinkled with a bit of the crowd singing along.

Worship Function and Accessibility

Some of these are songs our churches already know and love. We happily belt out Soul on Fire during our morning commutes and sway and chant along to the time-tested God of Wonders in our regular worship services- these are great worship songs that we have already come to know and love.

New Creation is the epitome of Mac Powell style with its driving beat and upward-looking lyrics and will easily fit into the opening of your worship service. It’s 4/4 rhythm and simple melody makes it fun and accessible.

Flood Waters moves on to a much more country feel. The lyrics are simple – and remind us that no matter what is thrown at us – we’re going to look to God. Musically, this one is a bit trickier for worship bands to learn. However, it’s fun and very participatory, making it a great piece to add to a night of worship, offertory, or any place you need a big, showy piece to really get your worshippers out of their seats and engaged in the action of worship.

Request Time Acoustic Medley probably isn’t that suitable for a typical worship service in its recorded state, although it is an enjoyable listen with an added splash of Mac Powell humor. However, within the medley are a nice concoction of songs that will work for your worship service, including Revelation, Just to Be With You, and Blessed Assurance – all tried and true worship songs that would fit well in a wide variety of worship services. The transition from Just to Be With You into Blessed Assurance is sweet and seamless and is definitely worth a try if your team is feeling inspired.

Don’t Stop is a delightful and unexpected cover of the famous Fleetwood Mac hit. While it isn’t technically a worship song, it does a good job of reminding us to leave our mistakes in the past and look to the future. So while it doesn’t come directly from the Bible, you could certainly weave it into a service where appropriate if that fits your worship theme. Regardless, it’s a fun throwback to the good ole days of rock and roll (and a nice gift to the Gen Xers in your community).

The toe-stomper, River of Life, is closing out the EP, which would make a great closer for a worship service. Use it to send your people out with the knowledge that the Holy Spirit is like a river in our souls flowing out of us.

Biblical Faithfulness

Mac Powell, along with his throwback songs to Third Day hits, does a great job of creating worshipful lyrics that touch on much-needed themes of brokenness, making mistakes (even as believers), trusting in God’s grace, being a new creation, and being on fire for God.

Powell’s music hits on some universal themes that don’t get tainted or misconstrued across different theological systems, meaning they work well across different denominations and creeds. The lyrics don’t muddy up the waters of theology – instead, they hit us at our weak points of needing God, point us to him, and help us get excited to connect with, worship, and live for him.

So instead of focusing on specific theologies, Powell’s music focuses on giving us the words and voice to connect with God. For example, you can really see this in God of Wonders, where we see language you might find in the Bible to show us how this great big God of the universe is intimately connected to the likes of us.

Final Thoughts

Live albums are risky, lest you get that feeling of “you had to be there” to get it. But Mac Powell handles it with aplomb, excellence, and style. This is a great mix of songs, especially if you’re a long-time connoisseur of old-fashioned rock music from Fleetwood Mac to Third Day. You probably know and love these songs already.

But what’s even better about this live album is that it is a fun mix of worship songs, a delightful peek into the humorous and fun side of Powell’s personality, and a really well-produced album with just enough crowd noise to make it real.

More

Mac Powell has an iconic celebrity appeal, an unmistakable voice, and engaging worship songs that help us connect with God. Not only did Powell choose stand-out songs for this recording, but he also included some light-hearted fun and the beautiful voices of his cherished family members.

Less

This is a well-rounded album, but I would have loved to hear a few additional new songs to give us a taste of the future of Mac Powell’s music. It’s such a great album that it just begs for more.

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