Reviewed by Andy Cooper

Generation Unleashed is an annual youth conference in Portland, Oregon (USA), and this is the fifth album born from these events. The first thing any Christian music follower would notice is the uncanny resemblance the whole sound and packaging has to Hillsong United: the multiple-guitar rock riffs, the huge crowd of backing singers, the thumping drums and constant crash of cymbals, easy to learn chord progressions and easy to remember lyrics, all equate to the Australian group (thankfully) at their best. Four worship leaders are featured, who also penned most of the songs on offer: Jeremy Scott is the most prolific and writes memorable melodies to accompany the simple lyrics - most choruses are just two repeated lines, for example, "He lives, he lives/Let the world know, let the world know that our God lives"; Donna Lasit provides an honest and clear sounding vocal with powerful moments during "Through Christ" and when "Carried Me" morphs into the early '80s classic "I Love You Lord"; Jordan Filip and Esther Filip both get one song each, though Esther's delicate vocal becomes overpowered by the brash band behind her. In isolation, this is a good album with songs that deserve to become more widely known, but unfortunately it's in a style which is already saturated by hundreds of similar worship releases.

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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