MACK BROCK
Mack Brock might be a multi-Platinum-certified songwriter whose songs are sung around the world, but he’s never abandoned his first love — leading worship. That’s why his latest project — his first solo live worship recording — feels like something of a homecoming. Although he’s shared stages with some of the biggest names in Christian music through the years, his favorite moments always take place away from the spotlight, when he’s leading people in praise.
Known for co-writing some of Elevation Worship’s earliest hits, like the triple-Platinum “O Come To The Altar,” double-Platinum “Do It Again” and Platinum-certified “Resurrecting,” Brock’s anthems continue to be staples in Sunday morning setlists. Following a decade as one of the founding members of the award-winning collective, Brock embarked on a solo career, releasing his full-length debut, Greater Things, in 2018. The live-in-studio SPACE followed in 2020; and in 2024, Brock bowed the 11-track This Is Holy via Centricity Music. A prolific lyricist, the father of three has written selections recorded by Phil Wickham, Jesus Culture, Passion, Pat Barrett and Bryan & Katie Torwalt, among others; and he’s toured with respected artists like Wickham, Hillsong UNITED, Cody Carnes and, most recently, a childhood hero, Paul Baloche. Yet, for all his accolades, Brock’s calendar remains full of conferences, worship nights and, primarily, churches.
That’s why his live worship record feels so fitting. “So much of what I do involves leading worship. That’s who I am,” Brock asserts, “and so getting to capture that atmosphere on this project was really important to me.”
The album was recorded in three different spaces that hold personal significance for Brock: The River in Toronto, Canada, a place he’s led worship repeatedly; Central Church in Las Vegas, a community he’s partnered with for the better part of 13 years; and Vizion Church in Charlotte, his family’s home church. Additionally, the LP features a few studio tracks that seamlessly match the energy of the complete live collection.
Having honed his craft in church since he was a teen, Brock opted to produce the album himself — an endeavor that, up until now, seemed daunting for the singer-songwriter. “The logistics of a live project felt overwhelming to me in a lot of ways,” he admits, “but because I’m surrounded by so many good musicians and so many people I’ve worked with for so long, I was able to spend time preproducing all the songs in the way that I felt would best translate live. So it just made sense for me to take the reins.”
A highly collaborative effort, Brock didn’t bring a band with him for each of the captures. Instead, he chose to use the musicians at each respective church, organically molding the project into a shared experience. “The recording process and the actual live nights of capturing these songs have been really, really sweet. Our attention, hearts and minds were focused on Jesus, and that just made every night special. This album spans so many places, and it includes all these different musicians I’ve known for 15 years now. It just feels like a project that encompasses so many important parts of my life,” he reflects, noting that his 15-year-old son even helped illustrate the accompanying artwork. “It really does feel like such a melting pot for me of my community and my people. I’m grateful I still get to do this and that I get to do it with my best friends. Man, what a gift that is.”
As for the songs themselves, all of the selections are brand new, with the lone exception of a powerful version of fan favorite “Time and Time Again,” which Brock recorded in Toronto. Half of the tracks were written during a multi-day songwriting camp with the others coming to life in one-off sessions. “I would say most of the songs on this project are songs of exaltation. I wanted to write from a place of viewing God as worthy of praise regardless of any situation that’s going on in my life. No matter what I’m wrestling with, I can still choose to praise Him. So I think a lot of the songs bring me back to the big picture of life and my relationship with the Lord,” he says. “They’re just songs of praise, and so to capture that in a live setting felt appropriate.”
Anthemic lead single “Praise Upon Praise” beautifully embodies this overall theme of exaltation with a swelling chorus that’s instantly memorable. “I didn’t want this particular song to be about me or about, ‘Here’s what I need from you, Lord,’ or, ‘Here’s what I’m believing for, Lord.’ I just really wanted it to be, ‘You’re worthy of praise,’” he shares. “And that’s the heart of the song.”
He wrote the expansive track, which was recorded in Toronto, with Chris Davenport, Jesse Reeves and David Leonard. “I’ve been friends with all three of those guys for years, and I’ve written with them forever. I have so much respect for them as writers, and so it just came very naturally,” Brock shares of crafting “Praise Upon Praise.”
“Glorify the Name,” also captured in Toronto, was another selection where Brock leaned into longtime friendship — this time, in an unorthodox manner. The day of his scheduled co-write with close friends Mitch Wong and Ben Tan, Brock called in sick. He had lost his voice. At the encouragement of Wong, however, he reluctantly kept the appointment. “That song was almost completely written in silence,” Brock reveals, explaining that while he couldn’t sing, he was able to play melodies on the piano and rough out lyrics on his computer. Wong acted as an interpreter of sorts, and before long, the simple, resounding refrain of “Glorify the Name” was born. “It’s just about the life of Jesus and His sacrifice and lifting His name up as the name above all names,” he says. “It’s eternal language used over and over again, but that’s a special song to me.”
Captured in Las Vegas with the community at Central Church, “And Only You” mirrors a similar glimpse of eternity. “I was emotional leading that,” Brock remembers, “because I’ve led worship at that church so often, and I know so many of the stories that have come out of that church. There’s so much redemption and so much grace over that ministry.”
Meanwhile, “Hymn of the Valley,” brought to life in Charlotte, offers a rare personal aside across a record fueled by communal praise. “There’s a lot of seasons that you go through where you don’t know what’s on the other side, but you’re trusting God in the wilderness,” Brock asserts. “I think we can all relate to being in seasons of hills and valleys and mountains and deserts — whether it’s a situation with your kids or your family or with life in general.”
The song has acted as a compass, pointing the seasoned worship leader back to what’s true, on days when life appears chaotic. It’s a feeling that’s common for Brock and his wife, Meredith — who currently serves as the CEO of Proverbs 31 Ministries — as they juggle their respective vocations alongside family commitments surrounding their three children. Their youngest child is adopted, and the Brocks are also a licensed foster family, meaning that at any given time, a fourth child could be in their care.
That’s why an undercurrent of worship in their home is so important to Brock, who says he’s constantly streaming worship playlists on speakers located throughout their house. He hopes his own music — particularly his new live worship material — can set a similar climate for listeners.
“I think that’s one of the gifts of worship music — it’s not just a Sunday morning thing; it’s not just a night of worship at church thing. It’s something we can instill in our daily routine,” he says. “While these are brand-new songs, the atmosphere we captured isn’t brand new. God’s people singing and God’s people connecting with Him is as old as eternity. No matter the situation you’re in, you can put on a worship song or playlist, and it can change what’s going on in your heart. It can change the direction of your mind and shift the atmosphere in your home.”
Regardless of whether people sing Brock’s songs on Sunday morning or an ordinary weekday, he hopes this live recording invites people to fix their eyes on a holy God, worthy of our worship in every moment. “On a Monday morning when you don’t want to go to work, or you’re frustrated with your kids and your house is a wreck, I hope these songs remind people they’re not alone,” he says. “There is a God who is with you, and He is mighty and magnificent and great and awesome; but He’s also this small, relational being that wants to have a relationship with you. And, hopefully, these songs remind people that both of these realities are true at the same time.”
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