STYLE: Pop RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 174311-27955 LABEL: Dream Worship FORMAT: CD EP
Reviewed by Tony Cummings
Over a synth wash powerful and dramatic enough to soundtrack the vast vistas of space on a TV documentary, a male voice gently informs that God is our compass through life. Then, with the entrance of some rhythm, a female voice picks up the theme and the song judders to a climax before closing gently. Then there's a surprise with audience applause - it hadn't sounded like a live recording until that point. In many ways, "Compass" could have fitted on Hillsong United's ground-breaking 'Wonder' album and it certainly created the same spine-tingling sensation. 29:11 Worship are a collective of musicians, singers and songwriters from Phoenix, Arizona and they've clearly gone to a lot of trouble with this eight-song mini-album. Two standouts are the surging "Rise Up" with its heavy percussion, sounding like the kind of song that would have any youthful congregation up and dancing, and "Beatitudes", where a delicate female lead powerfully intones God's blessings. The mid-tempo "In God We Trust" also sounds like it could be a radio hit, though it might need a bit of remixing. Clearly 29:11 are another of the ever-growing list of church-connected aggregations able to source congregations outside of their sphere of influence with uplifting songs.
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