God of This City

Sounds like … explosive live worship as performed by Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, and other college-minded worship leaders

At a glance … with bigger production and more new songs than ever, God of This City is one of the better Passion discs thus far

After a best-of and a break from annual releases in 2007, Passion is back with God of This City, the successful conference's tenth new album since its 1998 debut. It's also the first album recorded at more than one location—the annual big event in Atlanta, as well as brand-new regional events in Boston and Chicago.

For those who follow the movement closely, there's still plenty of familiarity to be found, like Chris Tomlin's U2-styled "Let God Arise," the David Crowder Band's rousing "The Glory of It All," and Matt Redman's anthemic "Shine." These songs are as big and stadium-sized as anything the artist-worshippers have done in the past, so there's nothing surprising there.

If anything, the main incentive for God of This City is the new songs. The lapse between 2006's Everything Glorious and this album has provided enough time for the artist-worshippers involved to come up with new material exclusive to this collection—six songs in all. Naturally, the biggest is the title track, led by Chris Tomlin with a chorus that's just as memorable as Passion's best moments. Tomlin also offers the pulsating "Sing, Sing, Sing," a song that's typical of the gatherings, but so upbeat and congregational that it can't be missed.

There's more. The more alternative selections come from Charlie Hall, whose "You Are God" and "Walk This World" are more contemplative than corporate, but still flat out cool expressions of worship. The same goes for Matt Redman's "God of Our Yesterdays," a reflective ballad that serves as a nice counterpoint to his own "Blessed Be Your Name." And then there's Christy Nockels' (Watermark) "Hosanna," a verbatim, spot-on cover of the youth anthem by Hillsong United.

In all, God of This City is a very good collection—an apt indicator of Passion's growth over the years, as well as a generous sampling of new songs of praise for churches nationwide.

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