Reviewed by Stella Redburn

Commendably, Australia's worship song factory have seen their albums improve considerably since they lost their most distinctive lead singer/worshipper Darlene Zschech. 'No Other Name' shows they are still continuing to grow in depth both musically and lyrically. This was recorded at Allphones Arena, Sydney, at their 2014 conference. The production is as slick as you could wish, serving up their trademark sound of strong melodies over insistent bass with complex layers adding interest. I was encouraged to hear Hillsong exploring traditional liturgy in some of the words; a very deliberate move, according to Ben Fielding, who says "we are writing the liturgies of the church today" for churches that no longer use them. So we find "This I Believe", a setting of the Apostles Creed, and "Our Father", a wonderful setting of The Lord's Prayer, contextualising it and giving the words honour and significance. The general theme of 'No Other Name' might be summed up as the person and works of Jesus, in particular in the atonement. "Calvary", for example, speaks of the blood offering for sins. The songs are not short; at nine and a half minutes, "Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)" has time to give a thoughtful re-presentation of Newton's much-loved hymn, couched in the context of 2 Corinthians 4, verse 7, "We have this treasure in jars of clay." A tender tune sensitively sung by Taya Smith. There are no full-on rockers here, but lots of anthemic ballads, like "Heaven And Earth" with its interesting melody line and strong theology, and the title track with its catchy chorus. Marty Sampson has re-emerged to give us a slightly more folky offering, "Depths". A wonderful addition to contemporary church worship.

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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