Reviewed by Sam Hailes

Third Day's CCM history is well known. After their successful early noughties worship albums 'Offerings' and 'Offerings II', Third Day released a string of pop rock records ('Wire', 'Wherever You Are', 'Revelation', 'Move', 'Miracle') which won them new fans across the globe. Now in 2015 the Southern rockers are heading back into worship territory with this set. The sound is fresh and very current, but the worship format has sadly left the band to play it a little too safe in places. There are of course exceptions to this rule, one of which is "Deliverer" which sees the band adopt a spacious organ and synth driven chorus, complete with vocal effects. There's some great collaborations, with many recognizable voices from the wider worship scene duetting with Mac Powell. "In Jesus Name" will no doubt be a huge radio hit in the US, with the potential to outsell any of the band's previous releases (yes, even "Cry Out To Jesus"). With Third Day's most recent studio record 'Miracle' being such a disappointment I would have preferred another rock record similar to the giddy heights of 'Move'. But 'Lead Us Back' is a solid effort, and within the worship genre it stands out for the right reasons. It's no 'Offerings', but the bouncy "Maker", poptastic "I Know You Can" and Coldplay-esque "Father Of Lights" are enjoyable and perhaps most importantly, capture a very 2015 sound for a band which has been churning out top music for nearly 25 years.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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