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Review: This Is Our God

COLLIDE Staff - Originally posted Monday, August 4, 2008

What’s Cool: When it comes to contemporary Christian worship music, one name stands above the rest: Hillsong. For more than a decade now worship music from Australia’s Hillsong Church has permeated churches worldwide (“Shout to the Lord” being their most famous). Hillsong’s newest addition, “This is Our God,” is their 17th live praise and worship album set to hit U.S. stores August 5 and will most likely spread like wildfire across the country.

This live album features new voices, including Brooke Frasier, as well as the well-known Reuben Morgan, Joel Houston, Darlene Zchech, and Marty Sampson. Recorded alongside thousands of other worshippers gathered to encounter the presence of the Lord, voices unify in songs of praise, giving the listener a slight glimpse of the Hillsong worship experience.

The album starts off strong with what sounds like a soccer stadium cheer (you know, one of those Whoa-oo-ooooooo Whoa-oo-oooooo) and continues with powerful, beautiful, and truthful songs of praise and worship. Songs like “Run,” “Stronger,” “With Everything,” and the title track “This is Our God” are powerful worship anthems, while the “Desert Song,” “High and Lifted Up,” and “Where We Belong” are intimate songs of meditation. Being that this was recorded in one live setting, it is one complete worship set and, therefore, flows beautifully.

The most powerful moment on the album is when worship leader Michael Gugliemucci, who has battled cancer for two years, walks on stage, oxygen tank in hand, and declares the promise of God by boldly singing the words to the song “Healer.” Head over to Hillsong’s website to see the moving video of this song.

What’s Not: Though we absolutely love what Hillsong does, a lot of their songs have the same structure and dynamics, leaving many of their songs sounding similar. Otherwise, we cannot think of anything else that’s negative about this album.

The Bottom Line: If you love powerful praise and worship music, you should get this album, as well as every other album Hillsong has released. Worship leaders, this album is full of new powerful songs that your congregation will love to sing.