Review

You lived, You died, You rose again on high
You opened the way for the world to live again
Hallelujah, for all You've done

So goes the chorus of the opening and title track of the most recent release from Hillsong. These lyrics set the stage for this gift of praise and thanksgiving offered by Darlene Zschech, the Hillsong's team, a 500 member choir along with thousands of the church congregation who had gathered in the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

On this double-disc live recording, they offer us the same quality instrumentation they are known for. The songs of "For All You've Done" seem to have less of the "brass" component than I remember from the past. There is much more of a "rock" feel to the recording. Bass, drums and lead guitar provide the primary backdrop for the 14 tracks.

Hillsong is known for its BIG sound. That being said, they also have a gift for moving seamlessly from that big, high energy sound to an intimate, worshipful atmosphere. They make the transition feel natural and not a forced. I attribute that to their worshipful hearts… not the instrumentation.

Though I love the high energy worship of this gifted team, I'm a sucker for the love songs. I found myself especially drawn in by "I Will Love," cut #3 of the second disc. "More Than Life" (#5 of the second disc) also tugged at me. They have an interesting use of minor chords in that song that somehow works well in this intimate expression of love to the One that we "love more than life." I also appreciated the fact that they left room on several songs for the listener to enjoy a personal worship time with God.

If I had one criticism, constructive of course, it is that they seem to have a hard time leaving an intimate song musically intimate for the entire time. It seems as if all of them move into a bigger, more powerful feel at some point. I think they would be better served leaving a few of the worshipful songs low key, musically and vocally, for the entire song.

Thank You, Hillsong, for another offering of love from your hearts to the Lord. You are a gift to the body of Christ.

Review by Danny Mullins