Style: Worship rock; compare to Hillsong London, Desperation Band, Jesus Culture
Top tracks: “Take Heart,” “Search My Heart,” “Go”
More textured than previous releases, the new Hillsong United is also more experimental. The best song, “Bones,” floats along with a euro-synth back-beat and programmed drums. Yet, like Desperation Band, it stops midway and includes rich spoken-word segments. None of the songs make you say “immediate worship hit,” but that concept is getting old anyway. Singer and chief songwriter Joel Huston produced, matching spiritual themes to the music (see “Rhythms of Grace”). The musicianship has also improved—listen for the droning guitar on “Nova” and the frantic, unpredictable drums.
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