Reviewed by Rob Birtley

Newport are the worship team from Newport Church, a fellowship out of Orange County, California, founded in 2006 by former Hillsong Australia pastors Jonathan and Dianne Wilson. 'Paradise' is their third release and as you would expect the sound owes much to the music of its antipodean forebear. It contains 12 worship songs that are meant to party. The whole album has a vibrant live feel and crackles with devotional energy. It's also an album that switches male and female lead vocals from track to track with consummate skill giving the true sense of a Worship Service. Add to the mix some elements of Delirious? to complete the picture. This is an album full of musical earworms such as "Every Way" which brings to mind Hillsong anthems such as "One Way" and "Blessed." It's an album that varies pace nicely and finds a home for more contemplative material such as "God My Rescue." Themed around the Good Friday message, calling on the Crucified Christ, it is a song of healing and power. "Live to Know You" and "For My King," both run over 6 minutes and are atmospheric ballads evoking such Hillsong tracks as "Cry of the Broken" and "His Glory Appears." To sum up although Hillsong references abound Newport create a unique concoction and deliver a self-voiced set of Christ-centred songs.

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