Hillsong United
“United We Stand”
Integrity
17 tracks @ 75:44

The sixth Hillsong United record is the result of their annual Encounterfest, a youth conference held in October. “We’ve been doing this for a long time now,” says creative service director Joel Houston. “The fruit (of what we’re doing) must be a generation who are totally committed to reaching the lost and helping those who need help, locally and globally.”

The song are primarily guitar-driven with plenty of repetitive lyrics. “Take It All” centers on surrender and has a shout-along chorus. I did like the lyrics to the contemplative “Came to the Rescue.” “Revolution” rocks and sound like something the O.C. Supertones might do.

This is a live recording. “We do a live recording,” Houston says, “because it best captures what we’re doing-corporate worship. Our songs are written to be sung in a live setting, so the live aspect is an important part of the recording.”

Unfortunately that’s exactly why I’m not overly impressed by this record. The lyrics and arrangements are just fine but there is a hollowness to the overall sound that reminds me why I’m not a big fan of live records. I would like to hear these songs in a studio setting.

- Rob S.