Review

“Lord of Heaven and Earth/ Lord of all creation/ Of water, Earth and sky/ The heavens are your tabernacle/ Glory to the Lord on High/ God of wonders beyond our galaxy/ You are Holy, Holy/ The universe declares your majesty/ You are Holy, Holy..” sings Mac Powell of Third Day on the opening track “God Of Wonders”, a song that easily gets my nomination for Modern Worship Song Of The Year.

“City On A Hill” is the fourth in a series, of sorts, by Producers Steve Hindalong and Derri Daugherty that began back in 1991 on their first worship CD “At The Foot Of The Cross.” At that time, the concept was something of a stumbling block to many. Here was a worship CD that was performed by some of the Christian Alternative Rock industry’s biggest names, but..it didn’t rock. It was just simply a heartfelt, sincere and poignant collection of worship songs centered around the theme of the cross of Christ. Volume Two followed soon after, followed again by a Christmas worship album called “NOEL” which is still gets played at my house every year from Thanksgiving to New Years.

Now comes “City On A Hill”, their fourth assemblage of original worship songs, this time performed by members of Sixpence None The Richer, Jars Of Clay, Caedmon’s Call, Third Day, The Choir, FFH, and the late Gene Eugene. As you might expect from the list of artists who contribute to this offering of worship, the style is very acoustic-based, with rich bass tones and gentle piano movements set to an intricate, percussive beat

. This is one of the few CD’s that can appeal to the savvy and the jaded with the same luxurious, undeniable charm.

Gene Eugene, who died suddenly last year, soon after the recording of this very project, reprises his powerful “I Remember You” with the help of Third Day’s Mac Powell and the result is electrifying as Mac sings “I remember You/ I remember that Your body was broken/ And I remember that your blood was spilled/ I remember that you didn’t have to do it.”

“This Road” is another powerful song performed by Jars of Clay that declares, “All heavy laden, acquainted with sorrow/ May Christ in our marrow carry us home/ From alabaster come blessings of laughter/ A fragrance of passion and joy from the truth/ Grant the unbroken tears ever flowing/ From hearts of contrition, only for You/ May sin never hold true that love never broke through/ For God’s mercy holds us and we are His own/ This road that we travel, may it be straight and narrow/God give us peace and grace from You, all the day/ Shelter with fire, our voices we raise still higher..”

This CD is rich in artistry, deep in worship, and flawless in its blending of the same.

Those who loved the simplicity of “Enter The Worship Circle” or crave the intimacy of albums like Vineyard’s “The Cross” will be very much at home with “City On A Hill”.

Review by Keith Giles