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When I first heard Hungry in the fall of 2000, I immediately knew it was something monumental. I was motivated to buy it through the WoW Worship series, which featured a stunning song by then little-known worship leader Kathryn Scott. The song was Hungry's title track, a haunting alt-rock monster with an indelible melody and an ominous, percussive intro. I had never heard a worship song like it.

But I wasn't the only one. Little did I know that Hungry—the sequel to 1998's Come Now Is the Time—had been taking the worship music world by storm since its March 1999 release. It eventually became Vineyard Music's all-time bestselling album, and proceeds raised through sales have helped fund orphanages in South Africa, plant churches in over 40 nations, and help prepare people for ministry.

An influential cornerstone of today's modern worship movement, Hungry has now been reissued as a deluxe edition in the United States thanks to an agreement between Vineyard UK and Maranatha! Music. Aside from all the bonuses of the enhanced disc—including complete chord and piano charts, instructional videos, and songwriter interviews—all the songs have been remastered. This means the live instrumentation sounds more pristine, the levels have been brought up, rough edges have been sanded down, and vocals are cleaner than ever. More importantly, "Hungry" now sounds huger than ever.

But even bigger than the songs themselves is the spirit of these recordings. "There Is No One Like Our God" is joyful. "Humble King" and "Make Your Home in Me" are utterly humbling. "Be the Centre" is simply stirring. "Refuge in You" rocks like no other. "Child of God" and "You Are a Holy God" are breathtaking. And Kathryn Scott's version of "Breathe" is the best, most passionate there is, bar none.

I can't rave enough. If you never had the pleasure of enjoying Hungry in its original format, do yourself a favor and pick up this commemorative edition. It's history set to music.

© Andree Farias, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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