Ccioma – Praise Medley (The Highest Praise 1)

A medley joins familiar choruses into one flowing set, and anybody raised in a Nigerian church knows how that feels. One line leads into the next, the room keeps singing without anyone giving instructions, and by the end people are on their feet. Nobody checks the time, because the whole point is to keep the praise going.

The bracket adds something worth noticing. The Highest Praise suggests worship aimed upward, offered as the best a person has, and the number 1 tells you more parts are planned or have followed. In Nigerian thanksgiving culture, a praise session that blesses a crowd is quickly requested again, and soon it becomes a series people wait for.

I will not pretend to describe the exact songs, languages or arrangement I cannot confirm, but a medley under this name points toward a record made for singing along, with call and response and plenty of room for the congregation to answer. Ccioma is a name many listeners link with Igbo worship, so mother tongue choruses would not be a surprise, though I cannot say what is included.

There is a small beauty in the idea of a first part. It promises that gratitude is not a one-time event. By the time a friend asks you to send Praise Medley (The Highest Praise 1) for their Sunday morning, you will probably know they want an hour of thanks without interruption.

Anyone who loves long praise sessions, or finds peace in singing the old and new choruses together, will see themselves in the idea. It suits church services, prayer nights and quiet mornings at home when gratitude is the first thing on the mind.

Download MP3