Russ Rosen Band
New songs, new opportunities. From the mountain tops we released the prophetic call, "We're coming back with shouts of joy!" From Bet Shemesh in the Judean Hills of Israel to St. George's Church atop a hill in the centre of Athens to Simon Fraser University here at home in Vancouver, there has been such a growing sense that this music, declared in the heavenlies, giving glory to God, speaking out His heart in spontaneous prophetic song, has power and authority. One woman who stood drenched as the rain poured at our outdoor venue at YC Edmonton, sensed it too, "I was dancing and celebrating with you...I could feel in my spirit that this was not just songs, this was something transforming that you were speaking over our city." The music team, under the banner of "Russ Rosen Band" continues to take ground using worship as a weapon and music as a combine harvester, on the streets, in the churches, and at conferences.
Review
December 2001
Rosen finally showcases his own sound
By David F. Dawes
Russ Rosen and Sandy Rosen and Kathleen Nisbet make up the Russ Rosen Band.
FORT LANGLEY musician Russ Rosen is a veteran of the B.C. gospel music scene.
Oil is the ninth recording project he has been involved with. He did three albums for a youth ministry called Rise Up; several for Upstream Christian Initiatives; and another designed to accompany the final Canadian March for Jesus.
Oil has special personal meaning, says Rosen, "This is our first real record. We've worked on projects for other organizations, tailored to their needs. This is the first time we've said, 'What could we do if we had a producer and a budget?'" This is also the first time he has released an album under the name Russ Rosen Band.
All recording of the basic instrumentation was done at Roy Salmond's Whitewater Studios in Surrey; vocal overdubs were done in Nashville.
The project was overseen by respected producer Alan Shacklock, who has worked with secular artists such as The Alarm, Roger Daltrey, Meatloaf and Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as Christian musicians such as Graham Kendrick and Paul Oakley.
Most of the songs were written and sung by Rosen, with the exception of 'Stand,' written and sung by his wife, keyboardist Sandy Rosen; and 'Down to the River,' which has a lead vocal by his group's other key member, violinist Kathleen Nisbet.
The album is "a call for people to return to God." Rosen says it is intended to be "prophetic, evangelistic and celebrative." This is clearly reflected in the lyrics, as on 'Through the Curtain': "I will walk through the curtain / That you tore in your grief / I will come to the table / I will sit with you and I will eat." Again, on 'Watchmen,' Rosen writes: "Restrain your voice from weeping / And your eyes from their tears / Jesus our deliverer / Has redeemed the broken years / So sing with all that's in you."
"People have asked us what we sound like," says Rosen, "and I've said we've never done a CD with our own sound before." He describes the sound as "Celtic, but a bit rough," and quips: "It's sort of like Ashley MacIsaac goes to church."
He concludes: "Each song is, in a sense, militantly aggressive for God's kingdom -- and towards the end, the emphasis is on worship." Source http://www.canadianchristianity.com/cgi-bin/bc.cgi?bc/bccn/1201/rosen
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