In The Hands Of God by Newsboys

Reviewed by Emily Lucas

'In The Hands Of God' marks lead vocalist Peter Furler's last album as Newsboys' front man and he delivers his best performance on what could come to be recognised as the veterans' strongest album ever, crammed as it is with radio friendly anthems of pure genius. It isn't just Furler's distinctive pop punk vocals or the dirty guitars that make it first-class, but the rock passion which emanates from each song, no mean feat with music so carefully produced for maximum pop radio play. Opening with the upbeat anthem "The Way We Roll", the album promises a rock experience from the start. The drum fills on "No Grave" and the surprising but welcome presence of strings make this one of the strongest tracks. "Glorious" and "In The Hands Of God" slow the pace and bring a slightly premature reflective tone. On first listening, 'In The Hands Of God' seems to start to go downhill with "My Friend Jesus". The poppy vocals overlaying the heavy guitars seem as unsuitably matched as men and pink. That is until you realise you're laughing along (the scene is a frustrated customer phoning a call centre and stopping himself expressing his annoyance in an ungodly fashion!). Suddenly, the blend of the track is as obvious as men wearing pink. The album then moves into the emotive, ambient "Lead Me To The Cross", a Brooke Fraser song that compliments Newsboys' sound perfectly. Michael Tait will have a big task on his hands getting near the excellence of this set.