God Of This City by Passion

Reviewed by Martin I Smith

As even the most insular Brit believers now know, Passion is America's most significant youth worship event as well as being the launch pad for such powerful worship ministries as Chris Tomlin and the David Crowder Band. This live recording contains a level of diversity that pushes the disc above other worship collections, allowing the Passion team to confidently hold their heads above the crowd. The deft mixture of Chris Tomlin's straight upbeat pop anthems like "Let God Arise", Fee's energetic contribution "We Shine" (even more exciting than their studio version) and the more haunting tone of Christy Nockels' moving "Hosanna" results in a listening experience boasting more than enough durability to withstand a thrashing of repeated listens. Charlie Hall is the jewel of the Passion showcase, the conference's veteran once again lending the collaboration his distinctive vocals, quirky grooves and intense song progressions though UK worship music enthusiasts will be encouraged that the brilliant "God Of This City", originally recorded by Belfast's marvelous Bluetree, is here given a credible rendition by Tomlin. One could quibble that the Matt Redman tracks here aren't particularly outstanding and we definitely don't need ANOTHER version of "Dancing Generation" but such observations would ignore the warm hearted atmosphere of Passion. The audience participation has been carefully mixed with sensitivity to each song's delivery, adding that sense of live power without compromising the enjoyment of the songs themselves.