From the quoting of Psalm 136 to the testimony and prayers interweaved with songs, “I Made It” is an authentic worship experience. The worshiping life of the intentionally multi-ethnic Sunrise Church of California is captured on this project.
 
Review by Josh Davis [www.proskuneo.info "Most of the songs are arranged for choir and soloist to minister to the saints, but there are moments that feel more congregational, notably on “Alpha and Omega” and “To Our God.” While the production quality and musicality is high for a church project, the CD is not pretentious. It blends cultures subtly with the occasional distorted electric guitar solo over a more traditional sounding gospel instrumentation. And generations converge with the participation from the church’s children’s choir on “I Need You To Survive.” And now for my favorite tracks...have a listen! “Who Is Like The Lord?” I love the live feel and tight groove of this song. The gutsy and joyful male lead vocal blends well with the creative harmonies and rhythms of the choir. Some great ear candy! In between sections of laughter and celebration, the smooth female lead takes us to a totally peaceful place. The verses are very singable, even congregational and the lyrics are based loosely off some of my favorite verses of Romans 8. The familiar title track “I Made It” invites the listener to think about how far God has brought them and to celebrate that by singing along on the chorus. The choir vocals are clean and clear, very sweet."
 
Review by Westside Story News "RIALTO, CA—recently Sunrise Church in Rialto hosted a free concert to celebrate the release of their new Christian music CD , "I Made It," featuring the Sounds of Sunrise, with tunes ranging from oldies but goodies, like 'Power In The Blood' to original works written by members of the legendary musical group, Earth, Wind, and Fire. Produced by Charles Kelly, (shown above) whose credits include studio work with music icon, Stevie Wonder, and strong vocal arrangements by Chris Hill, the CD also includes the original song 'Because You Are' by lyricist Lori Oden, Kelly, and Hill. Oden states that her inspiration for the lyrics "Came from my quiet time with the Lord. I had been reading Psalm 63 and began to go deeper into who God is and why I worship Him." While putting together this inspirational collection, the collaborators faced financial challenges, but their perseverance also taught them to seek a deeper level of faith and understanding in God. According to Hill, "By keeping God first in this, He made ways out of no way," says Hill. "When others doubted, we believed. This project has inspired me to push beyond my own limits!" Producer Kelly previously worked with some of Christian music's top producers on the 'Sunrise Live' CD and DVD, a worthwhile but expensive effort. According to Kelly, he decided to make the new production, more affordable for the average person. "Because of my experience and resources, I felt I could record another project for a fraction of the cost and still maintain the right level of quality." "We feel good about the outcome of this CD, and we are hoping to help other churches that want to record their music, but don't have the financial resources to do a quality project." Copyright © 2011, Westside Story Newspaper. All rights Reserved www.wssnews.com