Reviewed by Tony Cummings

This is Hillsong Young & Free's first studio album and in many ways their chosen musical approach - EDM-tinged pop with hardly a guitar in earshot - is much better suited to the care and precision of a studio recording than the hurly-burly of a live performance (even though, let's face it, there's a huge amount of overdubbing going on big budget live albums these days). It remains to be seen whether 'III' will deliver the memorable songs like "Alive", "Wake" and "Simply Living" that have given Hillsong Church's latest spinoff ensemble group considerable momentum, and I wouldn't say that this album delivers a song destined to become the group's signature hit in the same way that Hillsong Worship's "Shout To The Lord" and Hillsong United's "Oceans" have done so. But certainly the surging opener "Let Go" and the exceptional "Push/Pull", co-written by Brooke (Fraser) Ligertwood, Ben Tan, Aodhan King and Tracy Pratt, powerfully deals with the subject of temptation we all face, nimbly balancing God's sovereignty and human responsibility. Not all the songs are of this standard - "Love Won't Let Me Down" and "Every Little Thing" are littered with clichés, while musically some of the drum programming is erratic and only really sounds convincing on "Just Jesus". But there's still music here which will connect deeply with youth and maybe even some oldsters like me.

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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