Reviewed by Brian Carr

I would be surprised if any readers of this mag were unaware of the heights the Aussie set-up of Hillsongs have scaled. I remind myself of the buzz of hearing their first album and how the Darlene Zschech worship songs have attained classic status. Many say they set the standard for the live worship genre and that being the case their new album has a lot to live up to. Success brings its own problems, the spotlight is turned up fully and each track is dissected by those who would have no change to the formulae they have come to love and those who look for radical changes in direction. This latest disc offers changes but more of a subtle nature, for me it's more of a grower than in your face. The title track has an atmospheric build-up easing into a Zschech and Reuben Morgan composition and surprise, surprise, that's the only DZ writing credit. From then on the songwriting credits are spread around. "Now That You're Near" is a sure-fire opportunity for those who like to move their feet and everything else, a Brit-friendly sound by Marty Sampson. Ned Davies keeps the tempo going with "Shout Of The King". Acoustic guitar heralds "Made Me Glad" from Miriam Webster's pen and "One Desire" by Joel Houston. Soulful stylings embellish "Magnificent" by Raymond Badham. The lions' share of the 14 tracks goes to Reuben Morgan who chips in with five tracks. His quality always shines whether with higher dimension worship "I Adore" or catchy praise "With You". I suspect the arguments will rage about the merits of this and previous albums, but as for me I take my hat off to the Hillsong Church as I appreciate and enjoy their talents and quality production.

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