For This Cause : Hillsong Live Worship
It's fitting that on the heels of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney the most prominent worship leader from Australia has released a live album that was recorded at the very stadium where the games were held. WhileFor This Causecontains the flavor of big sounding live-stadium projects, the recording is so clean, distinct and precise that if it wasn't for the cheering crowd that underlies each track, these 14 songs could pass for studio quality.And while Zschech's name is on the CD, this is anything but a solo show. In fact, there's nary a minute or two where Zschech sings alone. From the galloping, frenetic electric guitar that kicks off opener "One Day" to the subdued, slightly minor-key acoustic arrangement of "Everyday" that closes the CD, this album is dominated by a large contingent of voices and musicians from Zschech's home church, Hills Christian Life Centre in Sydney.One of the album's prettiest songs is "Dwell in Your House," which features a finger-picked acoustic guitar pattern reminiscent of Extreme's 1991 radio hit, "More Than Words." Again, it's not anchored by Zschech singing alone, but by several vocalists sharing the leads and harmonies.The remaining songs are decent enough-and especially so for choirs who want to hear how Zschech's worship team does it-but the vocals and melodies sound fairly homogenous after awhile (same voices, same inflections, same pacing). While there's some variety with songs like "Faith," with its south-of-the-border horns and a decidedly salsa-meets-disco flavor, overall the sense of sameness tends to pervade as the album wears on.But even with the homogeneity,For This Causerepresents an honest-to-goodness worship experience, captured live. It's the next best thing to being there. --Dave Urbanski(c) 2000 CCM Communications, Inc. --From CCM Magazine -- Subscribe Now!