All About Our New Album, Without Our Aid

Without Our Aid is the second full-length release of Zac Hicks + Cherry Creek Worship, out of Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Denver, CO.  Their debut album, The Glad Sound, was their first hymns project, released in 2009, and between that time and the present, Zac has contributed to three other compilation projects with Cardiphonia: The Psalms of Ascents (March 2010) , Hymns of Faith: Songs for the Apostles’ Creed(October 2010), and Pentecost Songs (June 2011).

VISION

Without Our Aid is an experiment in songwriting for the sake of building bridges between two current camps in modern church music—the so-called “hymns/rehymn movement” and mainstream modern evangelical worship.  The album’s aim is to combine the energy and vitality of the modern worship sound (made most popular by groups like Passion and Hillsong), with the depth, theology, and historical connectedness of Christian hymnody across time.  From a songwriting perspective, the two do not easily go together: hymns are usually written in through-composed verses, while modern worship songs tend to have three and sometimes even four unique sections (verses, choruses, bridges, and “surprise” refrains or endings).  Though hymn purists might decry the liberties taken in bending and arranging the original hymn-texts, and though modern worship connoisseurs may consider the texts too verbose and archaic, our passion for greater growth and unity convinces us that Without Our Aid is a unique and worthwhile project.

STYLE & PRODUCTION

The goal of Without Our Aid was to create an album which sounded live in order to capture that more tangible “moment” of corporate worship.  It is not a live album in the true sense, mostly because our current setting does not have the bandwidth to be able to pull off a live recording.  However, the recording was pieced together in the “live” setting of our reverberant, 900-seat, traditional sanctuary, employing ambient mic techniques for all the major instruments.  A backing choir of approximately 20-30 voices sang through the album multiple times; those sessions ended up being powerful times of worship themselves.
Stylistically, Without Our Aid is best characterized as a “modern arena-worship” record—big drums, driving electric guitars, layered synths, crowd noise, and a live “congregational” sound.

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Review of Here For You, by Passion

Passion, Here For You (sixsteps/Sparrow)
Released: March 8, 2011

I remember when I heard my first Passion record—Passion 98—in high school.  It was fresh and different.  Little did I know at the time that I was listening to a mile-marker in the short history of contemporary worship.  Passion and Delirious are the pivot-point on which “contemporary worship” swung to “modern worship.”  Thirteen years later, much has changed, and much has stayed the same.  Many of the same faces and voices that were emerging in 1998 (Tomlin, Crowder, Hall, Redman) are now household names in contemporary Christian music.  Those twenty-somethings who were more raw emotion and energy have matured into thirty-somethings who have added a bit more depth to their passion.  Here For You clearly shows that Passion still dominates the modern worship scene.

SUMMARY

Passion always produces great albums.  To my ear and heart, this is not a hallmark album, however.  Musically, it is a typical modern worship album (this is not a criticism).  Textually, there are a few small surprises, but nothing jumps out that has not been previously recorded.  Awakening (2010) had a few outstanding songs (e.g. “You Alone Can Rescue”).  This album doesn’t seem to carry the same kind of stardom.  The songs I would most likely incorporate into worship are: “All to Us” (see my review of Tomlin’s album for comments on this song) and “Spirit Fall.”

Repeats from other albums and projects include: Crowder Band’s “Shadows,” from their Church Music, Stanfill’s “Forever Reign” from Hillsong’s A Beautiful Exchange, and “All to Us,” from Tomlin’s And if Our God is For Us.

MUSICALITY

The production, as always, is great.  The album is filled, with few exceptions, with the typical instrumentation: flowy keys, electric guitars, light acoustics, big drums, and crowd noise.  “All My Fountains” is a nice sonic departure from the standard tones and sounds of modern worship.  It is more earthy and vigorously acoustic rhythm reminiscent of late 90s Dave Matthews.  Christy Nockels (“Carry Your Name”) really does have a golden voice…the finest in Passion’s arsenal.

Perhaps the most novel aspect of Here For You is the introduction of rap into Passion’s recordings.  Lecrae appears on “Shadows,” with David Crowder, and on the bonus track of “Our God,” with Chris Tomlin.  With others, I’m appreciative of the incorporation of other genres, and especially from brothers and sisters who have an equal claim to the history of American church music—the African American tradition.  Some may disagree, but I believe rap is very much rooted in a combination of blues and the sing-song/shouting style of traditional black gospel preaching.  However, as many have noted, rap is a hard medium for congregational music.  It is effective as a preaching medium, and in a responsorial format (e.g. a verse plus a congregational refrain), but it is certainly something for congregations to listen to, not participate in.  Still, it’s a welcome addition to Passion’s albums specifically and worship generally.  Perhaps it is another small sign that racial bridges can be and are being broken down in and around worship.  Praise God for that!

THEOLOGICAL CONTENT

With this album, we see yet more cross-pollination between Hillsong worship and Passion worship.  “Set Free” is co-written by Redman, Tomlin, Ingram, and Ben Fielding.  Stanfill leads Hillsong’s “Forever Reign.”  There is also a little nod toward the hymn tradition on this record.  The chorus of “Lord, I Need You” very briefly touches on the text and melodic line of the 1872 hymn by Annie Hawks, “I Need Thee Every Hour.”  I’m also excited to see the maturation of the songwriters with texts which “sound” like the expression of the biblical Psalms.  Kristian Stanfill’s “Always” is a weaving of several psalms (like 121 and 130) which give voice to lament in worship.

Some songs on the album, such as “Lord, I Need You,” “Carry Your Name,” and “Constant,” are deeply gospel-centered and Christ-saturated.  The text of  “Lord, I Need You” is doubly praiseworthy because it highlights Christ’s righteousness, not our own triumph, the latter being a nagging theme sometimes found in modern worship:

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Likewise, I appreciate the opening line of Crowder’s “Sometimes”:

Sometimes every one of us feels
Like we’ll never be healed
Sometimes

Modern worship needs to rest in these moments of lamentation more often, like the Psalms do.  The song carries quite a progression that one often doesn’t see in one hymn:

It begins in individual lamentation:

Sometimes every one of us aches
Like we’ll never be saved
Sometimes

It progresses to hope:

When we’ve given up
Let Your healing come
When there’s nothing left
Let Your healing come
Til we’re rising up
Let Your healing come

It moves to adoration:

It’s Your love that we adore
It’s like a sea without a shore
We’re lost in You
We’re lost in You

It moves to consecration and mission:

Where You go, we will follow
Oh, God send me

“All My Fountains” is an interesting expansion on that phrase taken from an under-appreciated psalm (Psalm 87), an eschatological song about the children of Zion and the joy of being in the protection and presence of God.  Knowing the psalm gives great context for the joy of “All My Fountains”:

He has founded his city on the holy mountain.
The LORD loves the gates of Zion
more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.

Glorious things are said of you, city of God...
Indeed, of Zion it will be said,
“This one and that one were born in her,
 and the Most High himself will establish her.”

The LORD will write in the register of the peoples:
“This one was born in Zion.”

As they make music they will sing,
“All my fountains are in you.”   (Psalm 87 [NIV])

The first three songs are calls to worship, songs of exaltation.  “Symphony” lifts the eyes similar to the opening lines of “How Great is Our God,” with its Psalm 19-like first verse:

Shining wonders, fields of splendor
How they sing Your symphony
The deepest oceans, rising mountains
How they sing Your symphony

There is a strong emphasis throughout the album (which is typical of modern worship) of finding God’s special manifestation in the moment of musical worship.  “Waiting Here for You” sings,

And we’re desperate for Your presence
All we need is You

“All My Fountains” cries,

Come on, rain down on us,
Rain down on us, Lord

It has always been a part of the modern worship ethos to seek God’s special manifestation in the moment of singing.  Many worship songs ask for that very thing, saying something like, “as we sing, come meet us here.”  I wonder, with such a heavy emphasis on the presence of God in music, whether modern worship has steered us away from seeing how the presence of God is also (and perhaps better) manifested in other elements of worship like the Lord’s Table.  A gentle reminder to those of us who love and appreciate the vitality of modern worship is that the Scriptures testify and the history of the Church’s worship corroborates the reality that God chooses to manifest Himself most acutely in the Lord’s Supper, not in singing.  But, unfortunately, modern worship movements like Passion have been at least a small step removed from corporate worship of the local church, acting more like parachurch worship movements than core expressions of Christ’s church (interesting sidenote: Passion City Church has launched as a Passion-offshoot in Atlanta). While I’m all for encouraging generations to gather, be inspired, and rise up for ministry (Passion is a movement targeting the specific demographic of college and young adults), I wonder whether Passion’s influence on the Church has at least in a small way led evangelicalism more toward missing what uniquely happens in worship when we celebrate the sacrament together.

It is encouraging to see the theological jab in “Spirit Fall.”  Often times, simple songs of the Spirit are nebulous and do not highlight the roles that the Spirit plays.  Here, we have a very specific call for the Holy Spirit to act:

Oh, come
Magnify the Son
Savior of the world
The hope for everyone

The Spirit’s job isn’t just to give us goosebumps and overlay an emotional blanket on our hearts during worship.  The Spirit has come to bear witness to the Son, to herald the gospel, and to illumine Christ to us.  To my mind, this is what gives this simple song some uniqueness in the modern worship expression.  Personally, I am not usually drawn to more experiential songs, but this one attracts me because of its theological angle.

“Set Free” is an exciting song intended to get bodies moving:

And we’ll dance, dance
Dance in Your freedom
Oh, Your glorious freedom
Forevermore, forevermore

Perhaps because it’s more of a “dance” number than a “sing” number, the text-writing is a bit more loose.  I often encourage worship leaders to hold up as a criterion for song-selection the idea of logical cohesion (see my article “How I Choose Songs for Corporate Worship”).  Where is the point at which words and phrases move from being “impressionistic” to random?  I wonder whether “Set Free” teeters on this tipping point:

Joy, joy, unspeakable joy
Hope like never before
You came for us
You are our freedom

Love, love, unshakeable love
We shall over come, we will never give up
We lift a shout, we lift a shout
Everyone singing

Come on, come on now, we’ve got a new song
Come on, come on now, a song of liberty
Let the world hear heaven’s melody
This is the shout of the hearts You’ve set free

There is a conceptual glue which holds these statements together, certainly, but the text is awfully loose.  I’m not totally against it, but I want to continually raise the question that many do not: Should we not pause to ponder the fact that, while standing in the rich history of hundreds of years of Christian worship, we are the first to express words in this way, so loosely hung together?

I’m also interested in discussing the phrase, “dance in your freedom.”  For as popular a phrase as this is in modern worship, there aren’t many Scriptural parallels to it.  In the Bible, certainly there is dancing.  And a major theme of the gospel certainly is freedom.  And yet if you do a Bible Gateway search of the words and phrases, “dance freedom,” “dancing freedom,” and “dance free,” at least in the NIV, no matches are found.  Where did this phrase and idea get so popular for modern worship?  Does it have its roots in David’s naked, “undignified” worship?  Is it an attempt to encourage that attitude of heart?  It is not at all bad to strive for bodily freedom in worship; God deserves our all.  Dancing is an expression of worship, of course.  But where did we come up with this phrase, and what is its meaning and purpose?  I simply want to question its prevalence in our modern hymnody. 

Because of Passion's incredible influence over evangelical worship (in many ways, they are trend-setters) they must be open to scrutiny and questions like those above.  Still, Here For You contains nothing off-course theologically, and will no doubt leave a positive mark on the landscape of modern worship.

Review of Aftermath by Hillsong United

Hillsong United, Aftermath (Sparrow)
Released: February 15, 2011

Within the “imprints” of the Hillsong brand (Hillsong, United, Live, and Kids), it is United which propels their style and artistry forward.  In the case of Aftermath, their movement is a retro-progression (different from a retrogression) into 80s sounds and styles.  This album is atypical of what has come before in that it feels much less like a “worship album."  The backing choir, congregational sound, and crowd noise are absent—it’s only solo voices and faint BGVs.  There are no arena sounds and reverberant air.  It is a clean, tight, studio album that appears to have been recorded on three different continents.  I have no doubt that, because this is not an “arena worship” recording, there will be many Hillsong United fans at least initially disappointed.  But this should not take away from the fact that Aftermath is a fabulous sonic feast, expanding our United palette with fresh tastes from the not-so-distant past.

REVIEW SUMMARY

If you are looking for new material for congregational singing, you’ve come to the wrong place.  With some exception (e.g. “Rhythms of Grace”), though United undoubtedly uses these songs in their worship contexts, the melodic complexity of these songs lend themselves to performance-material rather than lifting voices in corporate worship.  That said, Aftermath is still a well-produced, musical, and artistic achievement.  Furthermore, the album is Christ-centered and God-exalting in its texts, though it suffers a bit from theological imprecision and scattered logical flow.  If United’s goal was to provide the Church with more worship songs, I would say that previous albums (e.g. Tear Down the Walls / Across the Earth and All of the Above) have done a better job at accomplishing that end.  If their goal was to artistically stretch themselves and their listener-ship musically, they have succeeded greatly.  No song stands out as one I would enthusiastically recommend for congregational worship, but many songs could be fitting.

MUSICALITY

The best way I can describe the unity of styles on this album is with the label “neo-80s space galactica punk.”  It is as if Talking Heads, Enya, Green Day, and the creators of Tron all got together in a collaborative project.  From Cars-like moog intros (“Light Will Shine”), to Top Gun-ish airy keys and staccato bass lines (“Nova”), to programming and legato lines mixed with Enya-style vocals (“Bones”), to pumping, tremolo synths (“Search My Heart”), United appears to be jumping on the 80s retro bandwagon that pop, rock, and hip-hop artists alike have been exploring as of late.  United seems to be stepping off their penchant toward heavy tom-work in the drumming.  “Rhythms of Grace” is a great example of this, where, at about the 3:20-marker, the drummer has chosen a creative, unorthodox, indie-style beat.

Track six, “b.e. (interlude),” gives a shout-out to Hillsong Live’s “Beautiful Exchange,” with the haunting choir in the background, singing,

Holy are You, God
Holy is Your Name
With everything I’ve got
My heart will sing, how I love You

Joel Houston, as Executive Producer and songwriter/co-songwriter for many of the tracks, is extremely talented and creative.  This project seems to reveal that Houston was challenging himself with something different.  This album is an enjoyable listen, with authentic artistry in the musicality and production from top to bottom.

THEOLOGICAL CONTENT

That Brooke (Fraser) Ligertwood had very little involvement with the album (the credits indicate that she sang BGVs) shows, especially in the songwriting.  Ligertwood, especially in recent years, has provided a bit more biblical depth and theological reflection in her material.  Aftermath has no “standout” song, textually speaking, which parallels the depth of “Desert Song” (Ligertwood) or “You Hold Me Now” (Morgan/Crocker) from United’s previous album, Tear Down the Walls / Across the Earth (read my review of that album here).  That said, Aftermath is beautifully Christ- and Gospel-centered.  The unifying theme and song of the album, “Aftermath,” is a rich metaphor for how the Gospel reaches sinners in the beautiful mess of the incarnation of Christ:

The skies lay low where You are
On the earth You rest Your feet
Yet the hands that cradle the stars
Are the hands that bled for me
In a moment of glorious surrender
You were broken for all the world to see
Lifted out of the ashes
I am found in the aftermath

“Aftermath” implies that an important and decisive battle took place, yet the battle was not clean.  This is a wonderful picture of the cross—the deepest love possible poured out, combined with the greatest injustice that ever took place.  The cross is simultaneously a place of healing and a place of wreckage.  “Aftermath” gathers all those concepts into one word filled with rich imagery, which is quite remarkable. 

Especially against the backdrop of historic Christian hymnody and the biblical Psalms, United’s texts continue their general trend of being more “impressionistic” as opposed to logically coherent.  Take, for instance, the opening verse and pre-chorus of “Go”:

In the Father there is freedom
There is hope in the Name that is Jesus
Lay your life down, give it all now
We are found in the love of the Saviour
We’ve come alive in You
Set free to show the truth
Our lives will never be the same

There isn’t much that helps these statements hang together in a logical progression, which ends up seeming more like mere emoting than making any cohesive statement in the song.  The same song also exhibits the triumphalism that some have rightly criticized in the past:

We’re giving it all away, away
We’re giving it all to go Your way
We are sold out to Your calling

Certainly we need to make room for consecration.  We should sing statements of commitment, even whole-hearted commitment.  But I have dialogued with not a few folks who are weary of singing such words when they know that their sinful, broken hearts feel very inauthentic when such lyrics are sung.  I admit myself that, much of the time, I don’t feel sold out to God’s calling; I don’t give it all to go God’s way.  Such triumphal lyrics need to be administered in careful dosages, set in the context of Gospel-response and consecration as opposed to an “I’m trying, God! I can do it!” mentality.  I’m not saying that this is what United has done or that this was the songwriter’s intent, but I am saying that too much of this can either drive people away or lead them to false senses of their own spiritual power and moral success.  “Like an Avalanche” is a good counter-example to that issue of triumphalism, displaying consecration as Gospel-borne response:

Trading Your righteousness for shame
Despite all my pride and foolish ways…
Oh, take my life
Take all that I am
With all that I am I will love You

One other concern on the album is with some “Trinitarian confusion” in the song “Father” (I mention this issue in my article on my criteria for choosing worship songs.)  A problem exists in evangelical worship that shows up more than we’d like to admit.  There are times when our prayers or our songs can speak to or of one member of the Trinity about works or characteristics that really are attributed to another member.  In “Father,” the following is sung:

Father
Let heaven and earth collide in the endless wonder
Of Your love upon the cross

The collision of heaven and earth is most precisely a reference to the incarnation of Jesus, God the Son, the second member of the Trinity.  Furthermore, though the Father’s love was certainly present at the cross, “Your love upon the cross” is a phrase one would expect to be singing to God the Son.  But the whole chorus begins with the vocative, “Father,” indicating that what follows is addressed to Him.  Hillsong has an incredible international platform, and because of that, they must be aware that they have the privilege of teaching and conveying both spirituality and theology to a broad swath of the Church catholic.  Theological precision should be a high-priority analytical grid that they perpetually apply to their new material.  The scope of their influence demands it.

I thank God for Hillsong United.  Like never before, more tribes, tongues, and nations are unified in worship in ways previously unthinkable.  God is using them to stir hearts, to promote justice, and to form people into the image and likeness of Christ.  May God bear fruit for His kingdom through Aftermath.

Review of Yahweh, by Hillsong Chapel

Tomorrow Hillsong releases a new arm in their brand: “Hillsong Chapel.”  The album, Yahweh, is the first of more to come in this “product line.”  Here’s the description from worshiptogether.com:

Hillsong Chapel is an intimate and devotional collection of Hillsong songs by the Hillsong Live team.  Recorded live in the Hillsong Chapel in March 2010, “Yahweh” is the first installment in this organic contemplative expression of praise and worship.

Comprised of 13 congregational songs carefully rearranged to be more intimate, this project is perfect for smaller gatherings and will help resource smaller congregations with the favourites from Hillsong Live and Hillsong United.  It is also ideal for your own personal devotional and meditative times of worship.

So it sounds like Hillsong’s objective is to counterbalance their epic, arena-rock sound with something more intimate.  If you’re looking for new Hillsong material, you won’t find it here.  All their songs are repeats from previous records.  However, there is one thing valuable and unique about this album for worship leaders to note.  I often hear from musicians trying to incorporate and play Hillsong material in their churches that the arrangements are too dense, and the average band can’t live up to the gusto of Hillsong drumming and electric guitars.  There’s a beauty and musicality in what Hillsong can accomplish, but I agree that commoners like us feel inadequate when trying to achieve the dynamic, intense, and ethereal prowess of the Aussies. 

Yahweh provides a peak into a more “realistic,” average modern worship instrumental sound.  The recordings sound pretty raw, which makes me think that, unlike Hillsong main, United, and Live, there isn’t as much overdubbing going on after the live recording on this album.  I hear rough vocal harmonies, stronger presence of acoustics in the mix, and perhaps some slight rhythmic imprecision.  The fact that these are all known, previously recorded songs actually makes the aforementioned “imperfections” more remarkable.  Here we have the Hillsong artists themselves showing us how their own music can be done differently.  And that’s valuable.

Here’s the track listing:

1. Hosanna
2. You’ll Come
3. Run
4. The Time Has Come
5. Savior King
6. Yahweh
7. Came to My Rescue
8. Stronger
9. This is Our God
10. You Hold Me Now
11. From the Inside Out
12. Mighty to Save
13. Salvation is Here

An observation: One big clue that they’re trying to market this primarily to an American audience is that they’ve changed the spelling of their famous song from “Saviour King” to “Savior King.”

Many cynics will view this as a marketing ploy…a way to make more money.  And perhaps there’s truth in that.  I don’t know how much behind-the-scenes processing went on for this album, but its rawness tells me that they did not pour the time and energy here that they have poured into other projects.  Still, that’s obviously part of the goal—more raw, more intimate.  However, as I said above, because Hillsong is pulling back the curtain a bit and showing themselves in a stripped-down fashion that more churches and congregants can identify with, I still find this album (and this new “brand”) valuable.

Finally, notice the descriptors, particularly, "devotional," "organic," and "contemplative."  There's something here.  They're acknowledging that the albums and music they've produced thus far don't lend themselves much to being described with the above adjectives.  They're acknowleding, perhaps, a lack of earthiness and meditative reverence.  Interestingly, however, the change toward that end does not come textually, but instrumentally through song-arrangements.  They're doing the same songs, but they are attempting them in more "devotional," "organic," and "contemplative" ways.  Have they achieved these ends?  Or is there a need for a wider breadth of textual content? 

A move toward answering this question could involve comparing the textual repertoire of Hillsong songs to that of, for example, 1800s English hymnody.  Do we find in Hillsong the spread of jubilance to confession, praise to lament, joy to languish, pleasure to pain, that we do in the Christian songwriters of the 19th century?  It's worth reflection.  If Hillsong is interested in diversifying its portfolio, perhaps the next step would be more songs that fall along the lines of "Desert Song"...a beautiful hymn of lament.

Hillsong vs. Getty: A Contrast in Melody-Writing

Circulating through many of my favorite worship blogs is the distillation of Keith Getty’s presentation on songwriting at the National Worship Leaders Conference.  It is getting widespread press for good reason—Getty’s insights are golden.  With particular regards to melody-writing, Getty had to say:

“To write strong melodies remember that folk melody has to be passed on orally (aurally). I try to write songs that can be sung with no written music. I imitate Irish folk melody, with a great deal of contour, of rise and fall.”

When I first heard Getty talk about this in January at the Calvin Symposium on Christian Worship, my mind was immediately flooded with the modern worship songs which don’t live up to this criterion and yet seem to still gain momentum in churches.  Of particular prominence in my mind was the material of Hillsong and Hillsong United.  Many of their songs’ melodies would fall flat without their music.  And, though filled with melodic leaps, I would not characterize their vocal lines as having “a great deal of contour, of rise and fall”…at least in the way that I understand Getty to mean it.

When I hear the melodies of Getty, I am always struck by their melismatic richness and flowing elegance.  They are “easy on the voice.”  They rise and fall step-wise with minimal intervallic gaps.  Leaps, when they happen, are intentional and cautiously used (“In Christ Alone” would be a perfect example of this).  Such melodies certainly stir the senses and move the heart.  They arouse the more elegant folk sensibilities in me.  To describe them in a nutshell: Getty’s melodies express through refined artistic beauty.

When I hear the melodies of Hillsong, I am always struck by their emotional immediacy and speech-like, colloquial accessibility.  There is something more basic and instinctual in me that resonates with the stuttering rhythms and jolting intervals that characterize the melodies of Hillsong (for an example of this, listen to “Freedom is Here”).   Their melodies arouse the more earthy, “tribal” sensibilities in me.  To describe them in a nutshell: Hillsong’s melodies express through raw human emotion.

Must these worlds be at odds?  Some say yes.  My more intelligent and analytical friends would be quick to (correctly) point out that the melodies of Getty will stand the test of time while those of Hillsong won’t.  In their minds, it would logically follow that, for that reason, one should favor Getty.  But, while my classical training and artistic sensibilities agree with this, on an existential level I can honestly say that something basic to my humanness would go unexpressed if all I sang were the refined, lyrical melodies of Getty.  Folk-influenced melodies pull back some of the emotive punch I would want to express in my musical worship unto God.  Sometimes, with Hillsong melodies, they come close to being shouts barely bound by pitch and key…and any honest reading of the Psalms shows that Scripture affirms this type of raw emotion.

I’ve noted that my more artsy friends have been quick to dismiss much of the Hillsong repertoire because it lacks melodic and musical sophistication, so they say.  They consider it poor songwriting.  But I wonder whether their criteria are formed in an artistic bubble such that they can’t see the obvious evidence: Hillsong’s music is sought after and passionately sung by (I would speculate) millions of people globally (yes, even in non-Western countries…check out their “I Heart Revolution” DVD).  Hear me out.  This is not as simple as an it’s-popular-so-we-should-do-it argument.  It has more to do with how the rhythms and contours of the melodies (wedded, of course, with the texts) tap into something deep in the human spirit (check out Sarah Mac’s post saying this very thing). 

Let me put it another way.  As I think about the complex faculties that make up my humanness, I can make this observation: With Getty’s music, my brain sings; with Hillsong’s music, my gut sings.  Again, I am talking about melody, not text.  When I hear/sing these melodies, different faculties in me are stirred emotionally.  With Getty, my refined, cerebral emotion is stimulated.  With Hillsong, my basic, instinctual emotion is stimulated.

Here’s where this all gets intensely personal for me.  I’ve been planning and visioneering our second hymns album (which we’ll begin production on in January 2011, Lord-willing), and I’m settling on a songwriting and production approach which mirrors much more what Hillsong is doing from a musical standpoint.  My hope is to make hymns palatable to Hillsong junkies and modern worship exclusivists.  More than that, I’m excited to move into uncharted waters in the convergence of old hymns to modern music—not only am I writing hymn-tunes which are “contemporary” and accompanied by rock band instrumentation, I am writing them in a contemporary style that many think is impossible (or foolish) to wed with such texts.  The people-pleasing side of me (which I need to repent of) knows that I will not be looked upon favorably by the hymns movement guys and gals I so respect and admire, because they tend to fall in line with Getty’s melody-writing philosophies (not to say that their albums and production all sound the same, because they don’t).  So perhaps my above reflections are an attempt to justify the musical validity not just of Hillsong but of my own new risky endeavor.

What’s frustrating to me is that I don’t hear anyone talking about this kind of thing.  Just as there have been worship wars between traditional and modern music sentimentalities, so I’m witnessing mounting polarities between mainstream modern worship and the modern hymns movement types.  I desperately want the camps to come together, mainly so that the latter can speak into the former.  But right now, there’s a lot of critical rhetoric out there from the hymns movement folks without any counterbalancing of encouragement and appreciation.  The hymns movement is reacting to mainstream modern worship prophetically (which is not without merit), but they need to couple that with a pastoral approach, as well.

I’ll conclude with a fictional encounter that illustrates my fear: While having coffee with some leading figure in the hymns movement, I ask them “So what do you think of Hillsong?”  They either respond with, “Hill-Who?” or “I don’t listen to that trash.”

Album Review of A Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong

Hillsong Live
A Beautiful Exchange
Released: June 29, 2010

Hillsong continues to prove itself to be a juggernaut in the worship music industry.  Now long ago in modern worship years, worship leader Darlene Zschech put Hillsong on the international map with “Shout to the Lord,” and they have never since faded in influence over Western evangelical worship (and they have decidedly broken into non-Western international contexts, as well).  Hillsong is a Pentecostal megachurch, so all their worship music is colored by their charismatic heritage. 

SUMMARY

Worth Getting It? 
Yes.  With each passing listen, it ministers to my heart more and more.  It blesses me most when I am listening to it with devotional intention.  Unlike some past Hillsong albums, I’m finding much less to raise an eyebrow at theologically.  Modern worship songwriting still needs to understand the difference between songs and expressions which are a part of private, devotional worship and songs which are intended for congregations.  So, again, for the personal listener the album is great, but not every song translates into the corporate worship experience (I recognize that all these songs have for Hillsong, but I respectfully disagree that some should.)

Songs I Would Most Likely Lead in Worship:
Tier 1: “Our God is Love,” “The One Who Saves,” “Thank You”
Tier 2: “Open My Eyes,” “Like Incense / Sometimes By Step,” “The Father’s Heart”
(Read comments in the song-by-song analysis below for further explanation)

OVERALL COMMENTS

The New Face of Hillsong.  This album is a testament to what is happening in the worship leadership down in Sydney.  With the maturation of the first generation of Hillsong United worship leaders (United is Hillsong’s youth, college, and young adult expression)—Joel Houston, Brooke (Fraser) Ligertwood, Jad Gillies, and Matt Crocker—we’re seeing them graduate into Hillsong-main and appear on albums like this one.  This transfer was also evident when I saw Hillsong United here in Loveland, CO several months back.  Houston and Ligertwood were there, but they were also giving air time to some newer, younger faces.  But personnel is not the only thing transferring from Hillsong United to Hillsong-main.

Musicality.  This album witnesses a stylistic blend of the more adult-contemporary, mainstream sound of Hillsong with the gritty, adolescent fervor of Hillsong United.  You could either call it a more pumped-up Hillsong or a more mellowed Hillsong United.  Pick your poison.  The clues are in the more edgy electric guitar work (e.g. the more punk-style opening measures of “Open My Eyes” or the detuned, feedbacky outro to “Believe”), the more aggressive United-style drumming (lots of tom-work and a more constant use of the kick drum on solid eighths or sixteenths), and a lot more ambient, “experimental” sounds from the guitars and keys.  However, the regular Hillsong vibe penetrates in many of the melody lines, vocal harmonies, and familiar chord progressions.  Musically speaking, then, the album is beautiful.  Its production is superb, as always, keeping consistent with the Hillsong sound we’ve come to know and love—lots of verb and the constant presence of backing “congregational” vocals.  Some musical critics will say that all the songs sound the same, and there’s some merit to that criticism: the album is dominated by the quadruple-meter and each song has some combination of the same I, IV, V, and vi chords in typical progressions.  Musically, perhaps what I admire most about Hillsong is their ability to sweep across a breadth of dynamic range—no one can crescendo and descrescendo like Hillsong can.  Worship bands have much to study and learn from this one aspect of our brothers and sisters down under.

Accessibility.  To my ear, Hillsong has always been more accessible for congregations than Hillsong United.  If they’re highly synchopated in their vocal rhythms, there’s enough consistency to make it catchable in short order.  A Beautiful Exchange is a very singable album (with the caveat that every song could be transposed down a few steps).  Vocal lines are melismatic, without too many leaps in awkward places.  If there are leaps, they are textually appropriate.  However, it’s one thing to sing these songs, and it’s another thing to play these songs.  I regularly underestimate how hard it is to reproduce the dynamic and ambient fullness of their musical sound in our worship context.  Those who think modern worship is filled with banal rock music do not fully appreciate how symphonic rock can become in the right environments, and a careful ear will notice this about Hillsong.  Still, most of us don’t have as many musicians leading as Hillsong does, and our acoustic environments are rarely the expansive arenas that the Aussies are used to playing in.  Those two things alone make it very difficult to translate Hillsong songs into other more tame congregational contexts without somewhat neutering the impact of their wedding of text and music.  Still, I think many of these songs can and will translate.

Theological Depth.  Theologically, Hillsong has always focused on the basics…the essentials.  Therefore, in every album including this one, we’ll hear a lot about the cross, salvation, healing, and its interpersonal intersection with the individual Christian.  This is a beautiful thing!  Though I don’t feel anything is flat out erroneous, I have commented in the past my discomfort with Hillsong’s triumphalism—victorious proclamations of what I can do with my faith for God.  Of course triumph is a reality of the Christian faith, but we must never put our stock there.  We must put our stock in the Gospel.  So with A Beautiful Exchange, either I’m getting softer in my criticism or Hillsong has actually stepped back a notch from that triumphalism.  I’m noticing more God-focus and less me-focus.  There is more rumination on Christ’s victory and God’s Kingdom than I’ve noticed in past recordings.  The only songs that I find theologically suspect are “You” and “Beautiful Exchange” (see below).  On the other end, I was surprised to hear some talk of God’s sovereign choice of us in salvation in “The Father’s Heart” (see below also)!  Choice-language is certainly biblical and therefore used by both Calvinist-types and Arminian-types, but most Arminians avoid the word altogether…especially in worship songs.  Perhaps tulips can grow in Australia!  ;) 

SONG-BY-SONG ANALYSIS

1. Our God is Love
This is a fabulous entrance song.  It is energetic with some refreshing drumming.  Its theme is obvious—the Love of God the Father.  Some songs about God’s love are generic enough that almost any monotheistic religion could use them.  However, the chorus leaves no room for question that God’s love is chiefly expressed through His Son:

This is love
Jesus came and died and gave His life for us
Let our voices rise and sing for all He’s done
Our fear is overcome
Our God is love

As our church continues to preach through the gospel of Mark, I’m more aware that, biblically speaking, the antithesis of faith is fear.  So I appreciate all the more the reference to fear in the chorus.

2. Open My Eyes
This is another energetic, God-exalting tune.  I appreciate its posture of need.  Its tenor is, “God, I need YOU to open my eyes that I may see You, love You, and worship You.”  Reuben Morgan is a solid songwriter.  Perhaps the only reason I don’t put it on tier 1 of my list above is because, musically (though it’s not bad), it feels very similar to many other worship songs.

3. Forever Reign
This song appears in a radio edit version in track 13, which makes me think that either Hillsong or EMI/Sparrow* seems to think that this song has some mainstream hook or appeal as a hit single.  The chorus says:

Oh I’m running to Your arms
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

This very personal love-language always strikes me as odd for the corporate worship setting.  I’m not totally against it, but I do find that it fosters the me-and-God-moment that is so antithetical to the corporate worship experience.  Yes, intimate love language is present in the Bible, but “I’m running to Your arms” does not seem to be a phrase which has many close cousins in the phraseology of Scripture.  Furthermore, it’s odd to me that “forever reign” is the title when the chorus has less to do with God’s reign over us and more to do with God’s intimate love for us.  Maybe I’m a prude, but “running to your arms” has never been my worship cup of tea.  I’m sincerely open to growth.

4. The One Who Saves
This is a gentle, mid-tempo 6/8 song, that has a nice dynamic contour.  It begins in an invitational manner.  The song is comforting and uplifting, and it is Christ-centered.  The song’s bridge is exquisite…seemingly unending repetition of “His love endures forever.”  Its focus is to draw us in by the unsurpassed, magnetic love of God in Christ.  I love this song.  Thank you, Ben Fielding.

5. Like Incense / Sometimes By Step
Rich Mullins continues to live on, praise God!  I didn’t read the title before listening to this song, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear Mullins’ famous chorus in the reverberant style of Hillsong.  The reason I love this song is because it is filled with biblical language and allusion.  Echoes of Psalm 141, Psalm 119, Matthew 11, and other passages permeate the verses.  Here’s verse 1:

May my prayer like incense rise before You
The lifting of my hands a sacrifice
Oh, Lord Jesus, turn Your eyes upon me
For I know there is mercy in Your sight
Your statutes are my heritage forever
My heart is set on keeping Your decrees
Please still my anxious urge toward rebellion
Let love keep my will upon its knees

Isn’t that beautiful?  As I’ve said before, Brooke (Fraser) Ligertwood has always so masterfully woven Scripture into her songs, perhaps better than the other great songwriters she is surrounded by.  This is the song on the album which most resonates with my heart.  The only reason I put it on tier 2 is because the verses don’t flow off the tongue easy enough.  I think this song would work great as a solo-and-response with the congregation singing the chorus. The track has a great extended ending with ambient voices and a beautiful electric slide guitar line. 

6. The Greatness of Our God
This is another great song.  It is God-lifting and self-effacing.  It is simple, but not simplistic.  I love the line in the second half of the chorus:

I spend my life to know
And I’m far from close
To all You are
The greatness of our God

Here is the balance to the triumphalism I’ve always hoped for with Hillsong.  “I spend my life to know,” a triumphal statement, is juxtaposed with “and I’m far from close.”  Beautiful.  I put this on tier 2 for the same reason “Open My Eyes” is there.

7. The Father’s Heart
A building, driving, mid-tempo song.  Intimately personal and sweetly humble.  The strings in this song that emerge after the first chorus are beautiful—reminiscent of Viva la Vida.  The chorus begins with an extended, melismatic “Oh,” that has come to characterize the Hillsong-style “shout of praise” present on more and more of their albums.  The chorus excites my Presbyterian senses:

Oh…
Sin is broken
The lost now chosen
In the Father’s heart

God’s unmerited choice!  Apart from the Trinity and the two natures of Christ, there is no more shocking, paradoxical, and beautiful doctrine than this.  Nothing elicits more praise out of my bones than this reality—God, out of His good pleasure, should choose to rescue me from my sin, sickness, and ultimate deserved destination.

8. You
There is one line repeated several times throughout this song which itches me theologically:

The worst of me succeeded by the best in You.

What does that mean?  I’m sure that Joel Houston means for it to be understood as a light, human expression (an anthropomorphism).  However, this teeters too closely on the brink of theological imprecision.  When we speak of “the best in God,” that would seem to imply that there are other parts of God which are not “best.”  But Scripture would have us believe that God is the extreme superlative of every aspect of Himself.  God is not only good; He is the superlative of goodness.  God is not only love; He is the ultimate embodiment of love.  God is not only just; He is perfectly just.  And on and on.  Whereas genuinely good things about me—my musical ability or my dashing good looks—will always have room to be better, there is no better with God.  Whatever God is, He is the definition of its best.  There is nothing with God that needs improvement.  Now, I believe with absolute certainty that Houston concurs with what I said, and I can even believe that Houston didn’t intend for the phrase to be taken the way I’ve taken it.  But that’s not the point.  If there’s a potential that others could take it that way, it is most of the time not worth the hassle.  This is what I mean by “theological imprecision.”  It’s not wrong, but it could be taken wrongly.

For what it’s worth, in the digital booklet, the phrase “Steel all that is within me” is written.  I think they mean “steal.”

9. Love Like Fire
This is one of those generic modern worship songs, in my opinion.  With phrases like, “Your love is like fire,” “take me deeper,” “draw me closer,” “my only desire,” etc., it’s one of those songs which contemporary worship critics would put in the “Jesus is my boyfriend” category.  I don’t have a problem with such songs, as I think there’s biblical room for such expression (though, as I said above, these songs fit better in private, not public, worship). I have no doubt that the song was born out of a profound experience, but there are many songs like this out there.

10. Believe
“Believe” is a simple, devotional song of consecration.  Like the previous song, it’s filled with a lot of stock worship phrases.  Its chorus seeks to find God’s strength amidst our weakness…not a bad thought for pondering.

11. Beautiful Exchange
As the album’s title track, there is at least some intention for this song to speak to the whole of the collection…and it does.  “Beautiful exchange” speaks of our exchanging our weakness, sin, and brokenness, for the wholeness, healing, and atonement of Christ.  In theological terms, this exchange is summarized in the doctrine of double imputation.  Christ’s goodness and righteousness imputed to us; our sin and sickness imputed to Him.  This song is “testimonial” in nature.  The opening verse says,

You were near though I was distant
Disillusioned, I was lost and insecure
Still mercy fought for my attention
You were waiting at the door, then I let you in

Those more sympathetic to an Arminian soteriology (the exercise of libertarian free will in our salvation) will be comfortable with this last line.  I’ve heard salvation described often described in this way—God standing at the door of our hearts, knocking, waiting for us to open it to let Him in.  They usually base that idea on Revelation 3:20, but that is an incorrect use of that passage, as Christ is standing at the door of the hearts of believers.  Compare this song to Charles Wesley’s famous testimonial hymn, “And Can it Be”:

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light
My chains fell off, my heart was free
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee

Here we have a very similar explanation of the beautiful experience of radical conversion.  But notice the emphasis on who does what, and when.  For Houston, God is waiting for us to act.  For Wesley, we are helpless slaves until God acts.  Then, and only then, can we “rise forth and follow” God.  The tricky part is that, experientially, radical conversion often feels the way Houston describes—I choose God, and nothing happened until that choice was made.  But our choosing God, according to Scripture is founded upon God’s choice and pursuit of us, first (see Ephesians 1).  Long before we realize it, God is working saving grace into our hearts. 

“Beautiful Exchange” has a “7-11” ending which may bother some.  I happen to think it’s glorious and appropriate.  No less than thirteen times, they repeat the line,

Holy are You, God
Holy is Your name
With everything I’ve got
My heart will sing, how I love you

12. Thank You
There is nothing fancy and nothing new about this song.  However, that doesn’t mean it’s not a great song.  It is a beautiful, simple way to end the album.  It simply thanks God, in broad terms, for who He is and what He’s done.  The pre-chorus and chorus are filled with typical “praise and worship” phraseology (e.g. “There is no one like you” and “To your name we give all the glory”), but again that is not bad.  Worship leaders like me need to be exposed to and lead songs like this.  We tend to err on the side of hymns and songs which are verbose and dense, and room should be made for expressions which are simple and direct.  Songs like these, in contexts like mine, refresh and renew our congregations.

13. Forever Reign (Radio Version)
I regularly listen to Christian radio.  It has always perplexed me that Hillsong is surprisingly absent from airtime, given their popularity and influence.  Hillsong songs have been played plenty (e.g. “Hosanna,” “Mighty to Save,” “From the Inside Out”), but, in my opinion, they’ve always been Americanized remakes that are too polished and lack the vitality of the Hillsong originals.  Perhaps this track is an attempt by Hillsong (but more by EMI/Sparrow*) to create a radio sound.  I can’t figure out, though, why the industry moguls have an issue with Hillsong’s original sound.

*NOTE: The original publishing of this post erroneously listed Hillsong's label as Integrity.  As of this album, they have now moved to EMI/Sparrow.  (Thanks for the correction from Ryan Erickson and Phil below.)

Album Review of Tear Down the Walls / Across the Earth by Hillsong United

Hillsong United, Across the Earth: Tear Down the Walls (May 2009)

It’s been a pleasure to buy a copy of United’s latest work.  I’ve been processing it, listening to it in my car, and dialoguing with a few friends about it.  I’ve been looking on United’s site and reading some posts to get some context for its creation.  Thank you, Hillsong United, for another beautiful offering to our Father in heaven.

I would like to review the album with some positive comments and then some constructive feedback.  Hopefully it will bless the Church and worship leaders to be discerning about the songs they utilize in their worship services.

Positive Feedback:

What I love, more than anything else about Hillsong and Hillsong United recordings is their attempt to aurally capture the corporate worship setting.  The lead vocals are always very tucked, and one hears easily the swell of many voices (whether choir or congregation) coupled with lots of verb to give it that “in-house” feel (I know many of them are actually in-house and the reverb is actual house acoustics).  I also appreciate that they have an arsenal of different lead singers, helping play down the notion of a “celebrity frontman.”  Not every church has the resources to have multiple worship leaders and lead singers, but it’s a blessing when they do.

The musical production is outstanding.  It’s the unique, “signature” Hillsong sound, with creative electric guitar and synth work.  The electric guitar/synth line (at least that’s what I think it is) on the opening track has that beautiful tension of familiarity and uniqueness (oh, so enjoyable).

The album title is creative in its double-entendre, and therefore it’s a powerful umbrella to encapsulate a powerful album.

The best song on the album: “Desert Song.”  As a person who, even at a young age, has had to endure some heavy suffering, I have a tender spot in my heart for any song whose theme is, basically, “even when God has ordained suffering for me, yet I will praise Him.”  "Desert Song" does this.  More than that, "Desert Song" has a unique, yet singable melody and chord structure, and has a nice flow and movement.  We will be using "Desert Song" at our church.

Another great song: “Soon.”  The church needs more songs that focus on the eschaton.  We get so caught up in the now, and yet Christ’s resurrection and down payment of the Holy Spirit has sealed for us a future that we need to be continually aware of.  “Soon” does this.  Among modern worship songs, it is rare in its second-coming focus.  It’s a sweet, beautiful song.

(It’s interesting that the two songs I most like are sung by Brooke Fraser.  I can’t find who wrote these songs [come on Hillsong, don’t make it this hard], but my hunch is that she wrote these two.  Why?  She wrote “Hosanna,” which is full of biblical allusion and theological reflection.  And these two song seem to come from a similar mind.  In general, I find Fraser’s writing a cut above the other Hillsong lyricists.)

Constructive Criticism:

An overall observation of much of United’s material, across their many wonderful albums, is that their lyrics tend to be disjointed (logical coherence is one of my criteria for choosing worship songs...see my article on criteria).  From line to line, I sometimes have a hard time making the immediate logical connection.  I understand that some songs are intentionally “impressionistic” (such is the case with the hymn on our album, “Light After Darkness,” by Frances Ridley Havergal), but when it happens for much of the material, I have to pause and ask the question of how healthy it is for churches to speak to God with such hiccupped communication.  For instance, here’s verse 2 of “Freedom is Here:”

And everything comes alive
 In my life as we lift You higher Let Your freedom arise
 In our lives as we lift You up
 Sing it out
            Sing it out
 Your freedom is here

One CAN discern logical connection with all these phrases, but it’s just a bit haphazard and stream-of-consciousness.  Historically, that type of writing hasn’t made for strong and lasting worship songs.

Another overall observation of Hillsong United (and this may be more of an underlying theological difference between Assembly of God / Charistmatic theology and my convictions) is that they tend to be triumphalistic in their lyrics.   For instance in “More than Anything”:

Because I’ve seen Your light You bring my world to life I’m coming after Your love

(PRE CHORUS) I’m not shaken I’m not letting go

As I’ve said about “Mighty to Save,” I just can’t in good conscience before God sing the Pre Chorus lyrics sincerely.  Because I know, no matter HOW far I’m down the journey of sanctification, I still have times where I AM shaken.  I still do have times where I slip and DO let go.  I can’t claim that kind of triumph.  It should be my ideal, but I can’t sing them honestly.

In general, Hillsong United could stand to have more biblical depth (with exception being the writing of Fraser, as noted above).  There’s nothing wrong with experiential lyrics, but United often teeters on being experiential to a fault, to the neglect of other things.  Thinking of worship from a congregational nourishment perspective, I wonder how nourished the United congregations are.  I know they’re inspired and even transformed by fresh waves of the Spirit, but are they nourished?  Is the intellectual side of their faith being nurtured?  Are their heads engaged AS MUCH AS their hearts? 

(I Head Revolution…I Brain Revolution…that would be a cool graphic)

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"mighty to save" needs theological precision

"Mighty to Save" is now a well-worn mainstay in most evangelical churches of modern worship styles.  It's appeared repeatedly on CCLI's top lists.  And why not?  It's got all the trappings of a great worship song...singability, a resurrection-oriented chorus with stirring melodic rise, accessible chord progressions, driving rhythm to match the song's simlutaneous intimacy and explosion.  We use it in our church on a regular basis, and it's obvious that it's a favorite among our people (worship leaders know what I'm talking about when a song really gels with your community...it lights up the room). However, at Creek, we've chosen to amend the second verse, for reasons of theological precision.  The second half of that verse originally reads: I give my life to follow Everything I believe in Now I surrender We've changed it to: I'd given my life to follow Everything I'd believed in But now I surrender It's a subtle change...present tense to past tense (the pluperfect, to be precise).  And some of you will no doubt think we're being nit-picky here, but here's the rub for me with the original text.  It's a bit too triumphant and boastful for my taste, given that we're worshiping before a God who sees all--especially all the ways that we, even as blood-bought Jesus-followers, don't give our lives to follow Him.  Even more, "everything I believe in," apart from God's prior work to give me faith (faith is an extrinsic gift, according to Ephesians 2), is anti-God, anti-Jesus, faithless, and destitute.  If I truly "give my life to follow everything I believe in," I have to be honest that I'd head down the wrong road (think of the mantra of the book of Judges: "everyone did what was right in their own eyes"...scary).  I don't think the statement, as it stands, is theologically wrong (which is why I use the term "imprecise").  Many sing it genuinely as a kind of ideal to commit to, even knowing (like me) that they can't really live up to it.  It just strikes me as too triumphant for me to sing with an honest heart. So our emendation toward the past tense makes verse 2 more confessional, more humble, more needy--and before Yahweh's presence, that's the side I want to err on.  It exposes weakness as opposed to boasts strength.  It says, "I don't have the power...I need Yours, Lord." Worship leaders, if some of the songs you use cause some "theological itchiness," don't be afraid to amend the words.  Hymn-writers have been doing it for years with the nifty little tag "alt." (short for "altered").  And when congregation members ask why you hacked to pieces their favorite worship song, give them a humble reply, and use it as a pastoral-educational moment to infuse some biblical thought into life.

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