NOW HEAR THIS
by Gerod Bass
HILLSONG UNITED
Wonder
ELEVATION WORSHIP
IRON BELL
God That Saves
There is a Cloud
Hillsong United is undoubtedly the most As the songwriting ministry of Elevation A Louisville, Kentucky based worship group,
well-known and influential worship artist of the Church in the Charlotte, NC area (led by Steven Iron Bell, began as a small weekly home
modern era. Their sixth studio album, Wonder, Furtick), Elevation Worship has become one gathering that quickly blossomed into nights
is filled with gorgeous songs of vertical worship of the more well-known and accomplished of worship where hundreds gather at a local
whose purpose is to re-kindle man’s sense of collectives in the modern worship scene. Their barn called the “Iron Bell.” God That Saves is
awe and recognition of just how amazing our ninth worship album, There Is A Cloud, features their first recording and features many of the
God is. Thematically, the album focuses on a whopping 17 tracks for your listening and songs birthed during these nights of spirit-led
the wonders of God’s unexpected grace, His worship enjoyment. worship. This collection of 11 new songs rests
unending faithfulness, and creative power, Stylistically, the album stays pretty true to on the acoustic and intimate side with southern
while encouraging listeners to open their eyes current worship trends with a focus seemingly rock stylings and themes of adoration, God’s
and to experience His mercy and the wonder toward the younger millennial Christian. Most of faithfulness, and victory over sin and death.
of His love. the instrumentation revolves around synths and Sounding like Zach Williams or a younger Mac
This album has a decidedly more spiritually techno gear, but there are plenty of gorgeous Powell, frontman Stephen McWhirter’s throaty
mature feel than recent Hillsong releases. piano arpeggios and guitar riffs as well. Themes vocal tones, mixed with his obvious passion for
These songs are scripturally rich, well written, of this big collection of new songs focus on the worship, give the album strength and intensity.
and delivered with passion and authenticity. majesty of God, His never-ending faithfulness, The title track is already gaining a ton of
and how we can have new beginnings through momentum in churches and airwaves around
the death and resurrection of Christ. the globe, and rightly so. The song was written
Some of the better cuts include “Shadow
Step,” which features the syrupy sweet voice
of Taya Smith and creatively explores how God The standout songs in this collection are the from an encounter that McWhirter had with
never stops pursuing His people. “Glimmer in celebratory Easter anthem, “Mighty Cross,” God that changed his life while he was a drug
the Dust” is a wonderful musical journey that which focuses the worshiper on the complete addict. It begins with a deep B-3 organ and
reminds us that even in the storms of life, God and total victory of Jesus, and the title track, acoustic guitar as McWhirter declares how our
is working wonders, and if we would just open “There Is A Cloud,” which is a confident song God has rescued us from the ashes and that
our eyes, we would see another layer of His of praise speaking of how God rains down His only He can save. The cello in the background
majesty and love for us. “Splinters and Stones” blessings and brings hope to quench our dry adds warmth and depth in this anthemic
takes us on the road to the cross and offers a and thirsty souls. southern rocker.
new creative look at the crucifixion of Christ and
the impact it had on humanity.
“Do It Again” is a contemplative, piano driven Another track that caught my heart was the
ballad that explores the faithfulness of God, flowing acoustic waltz, “Sons and Daughters.”
Wonder is a fresh and a welcome change and, while the song is beautiful, it overstays Here God Himself cries out for His people to
from recent Hillsong releases of the past few its welcome a bit and gets a little stale after spend time with Him and that He desires a
years. Gone are the seemingly endless array of ten minutes. deep, meaningful relationship with those that
Christian clichés, pad intros, and uber-repetitive The sheer number of tracks was a bit He has created. The airy violins that float above
choruses that, in my opinion, were hurting their overwhelming, and I’m not sure why they the acoustic and rhythmic foundations give this
message and helping fade them into a sea included so many alternate versions of the song a shining brilliance that fits perfectly.
of worship mediocrity. Wonder is a spiritually same song, but one cannot complain about God That Saves is one of my favorite albums
rich album with many wonderful musical lack of content from There Is A Cloud. The of the year. Each track is a robust declaration
landscapes that will convict, inspire, and bring arrangement of tracks on this Elevation album of faith, creatively written and performed with
hope to people living in a world that says was split a bit awkwardly as some seemed out authenticity and unique style. Their website says
that God is dead and the church is irrelevant. of place, which ultimately made some of the that they…”are passionate about cultivating a
Well done. songs forgettable. That being said, there are heart of adoration of believers,” and it’s obvious
still a few great songs here and overall this was that their ministry and music directly reflects
a nice effort from Elevation. this idea. Worship leaders, pick this one up!
July 2017
WorshipMusician.com
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