So how does Chris Tomlin follow up his 2006 Artist and Male Vocalist of the Year Dove Awards? Easy... he goes out and releases his best work to date with See the Morning, a superb collection of worship-flavored tracks that demonstrate Tomlin continues refining his art. As with the previous Arriving, producer Ed Cash is firmly at the helm and masterfully blending Tomlin's smooth vocals and his band's chiming guitars and rock-steady rhythm. The extensive road work that Tomlin and his band have done certainly shows in how tight See the Morning sounds. In fact, tracks like "Glorious" and "Awesome Is the Lord Most High" may even lose a little luster compared with how they sound live on Passion: Everything Glorious. No matter, as this release is much more about songwriting than it is about energy. For Tomlin, verse and chorus have never flowed smoother and sweeter than on "Glory in the Highest" and "How Can I Keep from Singing?" and first single "Made to Worship." Tomlin also offers a nice cover of Brenton Brown's "Everlasting God," slightly slower than Lincoln Brewster's fiery version on Let the Praises Ring but equally rewarding. Further highlights include the atmospheric "Uncreated One" and a new and pleasing twist on the classic "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)." Start to finish, See the Morning is Tomlin's most complete release and a strong argument for calling him one of this generation's finest songwriters in the modern church. --Michael Lyttle
