Song of the Week - Alpha and Omega

Sometimes a song comes along that is so profound in its simplicity, it defies definition. Such is Erasmus Mutanbira's "Alpha and Omega."

Originally recorded live in August 2005 by Israel and New Breed for the Alive in South Africa album, the song was also released on Sound of the New Breed: Freedom in 2007.

Blink and you'll miss the lyrics.

You are Alpha and Omega

We worship you our Lord

You are worthy to be praised.

We give you all the glory

We worship you our Lord

You are worthy to be praised.

So how does New Breed get eight and a half minutes out of that? By allowing it to be a true moment of worship, that's how. And by realizing that a song does not have to be overly complicated to connect with people. The song relies on a repetition of the lyrics, combined with some fantastic dynamics. New Breed takes you up and down and back up again. If you watch the video of the concert for this song, you will see that Israel broke down during it, and by the end there are tears streaming down the faces of just about everyone in the room - audience and band alike. That's a connection.

The song is recorded in D flat, but is fairly easy to play. (I can play it on piano with a fair amount of competence, so how complicated can it be?) Israel's version is nice, will bell and organ sounds toward the end. You get the image of church bells pealing off the melody.

Here's another version of the song you might not have heard...