It’s not hyperbole to say Poor Bishop Hooper’s EveryPsalm project is one of the most significant projects ever in contemporary Christian music. For the last three years, the Kansas City-based, husband-wife duo (Jesse and Leah Roberts) has written, recorded, and released a song based on all 150 biblical psalms. One per week for three years. What a feat! That kind of discipline and creative output is not for the faint of heart. But I’m so grateful.
Beyond being something I’ve championed through various interviews (in 2019, 2021, and just last week), the EveryPsalm project has been significant personally over the last three years. These psalms set to music have been a soundtrack to my 2020, 2021, and 2022. My favorites in the project are the ones that evoke certain memories of how the song ministered to me at a particular time. Below I've listed my 10 favorite songs from the EveryPsalm project, with remarks on why it stands out for me.
Psalm 1
This one of my favorite psalms in the Bible, and it’s probably my favorite song in the EveryPsalm project. Because Psalm 1 was an inspiration passage as I wrote my book The Wisdom Pyramid, I commissioned Poor Bishop Hooper to record a video performance of the song to release alongside my book’s release, in 2021. Here is that video.
Psalm 2
The second song in the project is also a favorite, for different reasons. We played this song a ton in our household in 2020 (a crazy year, if you recall), and our then-two-year-old son Chet came to love it, terming it the “Dash ‘Em Song” (and i will make the nations your heritage / the ends of the earth your possession / you shall break them with a rod of iron / and dash them to pieces dash them to pieces). To this day, he still lights up when the Dash ‘Em Song comes on.
Psalm 23
The subdued but beautiful nature of this track really lets the comforting beauty of Psalm 23 shine. Released in the early months of the pandemic, “Psalm 23” was a song I returned to often in moments of worry and stress.
Psalm 33
This uptempo song is a joy to sing along with as a family. Try it with your kids! The jubilant chorus repeats a truth every family should regularly rehearse: Praise the Lord, shout for joy / for the word of the Lord is true!
Psalm 43
I recently rediscovered this track, as I was driving through the snowy, remote countryside of central Alaska. The epic, nearly 7-minute song is comprised of four distinct movements, each picking up a different section of the biblical psalm. The way it ends, with a repeated phrase from vs. 4, is truly transcendent: Then I will go / to the place where you are / to the source of my joy…
Psalm 87
This joyful song is an example of the EveryPsalm project at its best. The way Jesse and Leah musically accent a particular phrase—all my fountains are in you (vs. 7)—brings something to the listener that they might have missed in just reading Psalm 87 in their Bible. The phrase, repeated and in harmony, allows its truth to soar higher and sink in deeper.
Psalm 113
The piano arrangement in this track is one of my favorites of the whole project. It’s a great example of how music enhances the tone and impact of the words. We listened to this lovely song often on our summer roadtrip in the beautiful Canadian Rockies, its chorus declaring the Creator’s majesty: Who is like the Lord? / Who is seated high there enthroned / Who looks down down on both the heavens and the earth?
Psalm 119: Waw
Poor Bishop Hooper went big on Psalm 119 (as they should), releasing an entire 22-song album based on the 22 stanzas of the Psalm (one for each of the 22 characters that make up the Hebrew alphabet). Of the 22 tracks, the uptempo “Waw” is probably my favorite.
Psalm 145
In terms of sheer musical and lyrical beauty, Poor Bishop Hooper’s “Psalm 145” is up there for me. Subtle yet impactful, the chorus gets me every time: The Lord is gracious / merciful and compassionate / slow to anger / rich and abounding in / love steadfast love / love steadfast love.
Psalm 150
The final song in the project is a fitting finale: utterly worshipful, earnest, and triumphant. Foregrounding the vocal harmonies of the married couple, the song puts the accent on the psalm’s all-encompassing call to praise: Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.