Reviewed by Stella Redburn

This album marks 20 years of existence for New Hope O'ahu in Honolulu and reached number one in the Billboard Christian charts. It is the strength of the worship team's female vocalists that hit me first. Jana Anguay Alcain is absolutely knock-out as she builds up the emotional intensity on tracks like "Never Gonna Stop" and "Send Us Out". "Greater Together" is a very strong song and came out of focussed church teaching from Pastor Wayne Cordeiro. It features the big lush sound of the album and was chosen as the single. Many tracks are rockers, like "Your Freedom Our Anthem" and "On This Rock". The stomping bass and drums with trendy electronic additions make for an immediate gut reaction. However, New Hope O'ahu can do sensitive as well, like "Your Amazing Grace", where the powerful words echo Ephesians 2:8, or the delicate "Grace Upon Grace" with its lovely acoustic guitar. Interestingly, the pure worship of "Holy One" has a Hawaiian voice-over at the beginning and end; a nod to local culture. All the tracks are very congregation-friendly and would transfer well into other church settings.

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.