STYLE: Pop RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 21240-CAS1375 LABEL: Spirit Of Praise 2043 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Tony Cummings
Out a good few months but missing the Cross Reviews dragnet, this delightful praise and worship album deserves a plug. Sydney, Australia is clearly one of the places for supremely talented local churches. Not only is there the Christian City Church (featured in Kingsway's Worshipping Churches series) but there's the Hills Christian Life Centre from whence spring the musicians and singers who feature here. (They also turn up as Youth Alive on another Word distributed album 'Totally Radical 11: Rock The Flock'). Hillsong's speciality are songs arranged, produced and even mixed (the mixes here are by Guy Gray, the man responsible for Midnight Oil's "Beds Are Burning" hit) as if every song is being pumped at Top 40 radio. With singers as good as the ones here, and styles taking in 60s Memphis soul ("I Am Not Ashamed"), heavy-ish rock ("Armed And Dangerous") and their 'theme tune' "Revival" their poppy sound evokes Heartbeat at their best.
The opinions expressed in this article are
not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed
views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may
not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a
later date.
Interested in reviewing music? Find out
more here.