Reviewed by Simon Eden

As most people will know by now, the debut album from this Atlanta-based band sold more than a million copies. The band were named Group Of The Year, whilst their frontman and principle songwriter Mark Hall was named Songwriter Of The Year in 2004 and 2005 by the Gospel Music Association. With 'Lifesong' being officially their second release, the pressure is on to see if they can deliver. The simple answer is quite probably yes as the band use a refreshing formula that challenges the Church instead of serving up milk and cookies. The band have not aimed at mainstream success but have stayed grounded in their church's youth worship, which has provided a rock solid base and inspiration for the current success. The title track is currently showing commercial success whilst confronting the listener to follow a lifestyle of worship. "Love Them Like Jesus" has me in tears every time I hear it, as it portrays the breakdown of a marriage and the loss of a child, whilst Jesus is there in the midst of it all. I suspect there are a lot of people out there who will benefit from getting these lyrics into their head and heart.

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.

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