The sophomore release from Southern California’s “The Violet Burning” became an instant classic. Penetrating vocals, eerie and haunting melodies, and some of the most amazing, insightful and poignant lyrics. While at the same time the record appears to be, in a sense, a worship album. Released in 1992, Strength took a young worship leader, rock singer and poet Mark Prtizl and introduced him to a much larger audience than the Violet Burning’s debut, Chosen. If ever a record was about creating an atmosphere it was Strength. Lyrics are passionate and distinct. True there are stories of love lost and an amazing cover of the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” but, for the most part, the album maintains a very strong sense of the divine and man’s relationship with God. Even what immediately may appear to be a simple song of loss, once the layers have been removed the listener realizes a Scriptural depth to its content. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.