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United Live: “King of Majesty”
Turn up the thermostat on the worship heater, till you get to high octane, guitar soaked praise and you have reached the new United Live Youth Praise band CD, “King of Majesty.”
This CD is not for the traditional or faint hearted, from the word go as the roaring crowds wash over you, the gentle start of the first song, is blasted apart as the drummer and guitarists let it rip! I was
into this CD right from the start. It’s not a sit back and relax CD and yet there are moments of beautiful worship, especially the traditional “Holy, Holy, Holy,”
with its evocative vocals and keyboards, leading into an inspired ending, dwelling on the holiness of the Lord, and raising our expectations once again with “Did you feel the mountain’s tremble?” (My No 1 favorite
worship song to sing and play.) A worthy ending to this concert.
Other highlights: “God is great,”
is possibly my favorite song and receives a break-neck speed rendition complete with excellent dynamics between verses making the chorus even more dramatic! The first two songs are also fast and furious. But even though this may put the thought in one’s mind, can this bring us into an attitude of worship? This band does have a way of making these tunes praiseworthy in the midst of radical rock and roll!
“Everything to me,” is a great “youth” orientated worship song, it has a catchy, easy to sing chorus, positive lyrics and you will be singing, “Jesus your everything to me,” by the end of the song. Next comes
“Your Spirit” and “I adore,” both show how the main Hillsong song machine has given birth to this Youth band! Darlene sounds like she’s somewhere in there! Indeed her words are on the cover, “ I pray that you
hear the heartbeat of this new generation of worshippers, people who hunger and thirst after the presence of God.” Amen!
From the beginning of the CD to the end, you can tell this is from Hillsong!
Having listened to many of their CD’s they have a certain “feel” about them. United Live is, in my opinion, the third chapter in a trilogy of CD’s this band has released over the past few years. I enjoyed this one the
best! I do feel however that a change to a edgy or raw rock and roll feel would be a little interesting. They do tend to be slick sounding and verging on the manufactured. But the LIVE sound is tremendous and
there is no doubt that the concert where it was recorded was a spectacular night of radical worship. If you are looking for some new “youth” songs for your group then I would recommend that you get this CD, oh and please “don’t be
afraid to play it LOUD!”
Review by Bill Mason |
