Review

Hillsong Music describes their second “contemporary” (young adult) album, United Live- Best Friend as “10 fresh edgy anthems and intimate worship.” That’s a fair evaluation. This is the second in Hillsong’s contemporary series, and its true, there is an edginess here as they target a younger audience. Guitars, drums and some keyboards are the instruments of choice for this project.

Recorded live at the July 8, 2000 Hillsong Conference in Sydney, this album reflects the sound of 8 songwriters, giving it a wide range of diversity. Some are new artists being raised up in this congregation of endless talent. Ruben Morgan, a familiar name around Hillsong Music, co produced the album and joins Marty Sampson as the recognized worship leaders, but there are some great female voices featured in leading roles as well.

Two of the songs, “My Best Friend” and “Forever,” were included on the recently released Hillsong recording You Are My World. The album gets underway (forgive the barely recognizable pun) with a couple of upbeat songs, then takes on a deeply worshipful tone. “Saving Grace” begins the intimate medley, reflecting a heart crying out in a love song to the Lord. “God of All Creation” concludes the three-song set with a melodic prayer of abandon. From here the tempo cranks again with “I Live For You,” followed by a good kingdom anthem “Jesus Generation.” Then comes a refreshing new expression of the Hillsong classic “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.”

The project concludes with the same feel it began with 9 songs earlier. “The Reason I Live” is a driving, in your face, kind of interpretive prayer recognizing that “in Him we live and move and have our being.” This album is an eclectic assortment of tunes that, at times, is as reflective and sweet as you’ll ever hear, with radical tunes standing at the front and rear like bookends. If you want a worship album to take you on a journey, progressing steadily toward an evolving experience, then you might want to leave your money in the cookie jar for another day. But if you’re looking for a CD with variety, and are drawn to the young passionate sound that has become a vibrant voice in Christian worship music, you should enjoy United Live-Best Friend. My teenagers apprehended my copy.

Reviewed by Greg Dille