CONTINUING TO EMPOWER A NEW GENERATION
The latest installment in the Passion series is God of This City, a live disc featuring
the best moments of Passion ’07 and regional events which visited six cities
this past fall and spring. Fourteen tracks include favorites from Chris Tomlin,
Charlie Hall, David Crowder Band, Christy Nockels, Matt Redman, Kristian
Stanfill and Fee. Songs like Tomlin’s “Let God Arise,” Crowder’s “The Glory of
It All” and Redman’s “Shine” rock harder live than on the original recordings.
There are numerous moments of collective worship where the live choir of voices
shine through. And if you attended any of the Passion events over the past
year, it makes for a memorable keepsake to draw you back to the experience.
The six new songs obviously shine. The title track is by far
the best song of the collection. Chris Tomlin’s passionate vocals, underscored
by a soft piano, work in tandem to build to a powerful chorus that’s extremely
fitting for this season in the life of Passion, as Giglio & Co. set out
this month on a 17-city world tour. The lyrics eloquently state, “Greater things are yet to come and greater
things are still to be done in this city,” an anthem sure to be chanted
throughout the world as Passion takes its timeless message to the nations.
Other stand-out new tunes include Christy Nockels’ beautiful
rendition of Hillsong United’s “Hosanna,” Chris Tomlin’s anthemic “Sing Sing
Sing” (sure to show up on his much-anticipated new studio album) and Matt
Redman’s tender ballad “God of Our Yesterdays.”
A good live album breathes new life into songs and creates
an atmosphere that transports the listener to the time of the live experience.
You won’t be able to listen to this record without belting out the choruses to
these songs alongside the attendees of these events. God of This City puts listeners in the center of the heartbeat of
Passion. And if the new tracks are any indication, greater things are yet to
come from the artists represented on this project.
–Lindsay Williams