Cynic that I am, there aren't a large number of worship albums that I enjoy. I tend to see the genre as a whole as opportunistic, and I believe that a lot of bands aren't in it for the right reasons. Even given that, though, I've been looking forward to City on a Hill, the genre's latest effort, for quite some time now. Why? Because Steve Hindalong, drummer/lyricist for The Choir and mastermind behind the At the Foot of the Cross series (worship music before it was popular to do worship music!), spearheads the project.
City on a Hill is on Essential Records, and it shows: quite a few of the artists represented on the disc are signed to that label: Third Day, Caedmon's Call, FFH, etc. Other artists include Sixpence None the Richer, The Choir, and the late Gene Eugene. Eugene fans will be especially interested in the project, as his parts were recorded a mere two weeks before his death in March.
Unlike the At the Foot of the Cross discs, City on a Hill doesn't appear to have a single unifying theme that runs throughout the album. Instead, it focuses on different aspects of God and the Christian walk, and includes songs to God, from God, and about God. The result is somewhat more disjointed than ATFOTC, but it doesn't really distract from the feeling or mood of the record.
One highlight for me is Mac Powell's (Third Day) rendition of Adam Again's The Tenth Song, renamed here "I Remember You." That bleeds into "Precious Jesus," what may be the album's most beautiful song, sung by The Choir's Derri Daugherty and Sixpence's Leigh Nash. Nash also sings the self-composed "You Are There," which is a lovely, reassuring song sung from God's perspective. Eugene tackles "Marvelous Light" wonderfully, with vocal help from every artist on the record, and FFH's "Merciful Rain" is both catchy and touching. There are a few clunkers, but they don't take away from the total value of the project, which may well be a classic someday.
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by James StewartIt's been quite a while since the last installment of our ongoing coverage of worship music releases, so without any ado here's an overview of a dozen or so releases from the latter half of 2000. Sitting somewhere between the recordings mentioned earlier and that last one is City On a Hill. Widely noted as the final project to include work of the late Gene Eugene, the album is in a way a more…ReAL Magazine 2000Reviewed by John M. De MarcoI am normally not a fan of worship and praise albums. Too often the songs are cheesy and the sound is sappy. An album like this has a difficult task, it needs to be more than a collection of praise songs, it must create an atmosphere of worship. City on a Hill - Songs of Worship and Praise is an amazing album. Not only does it build an atmosphere of worship, it sets a new standard for Christian…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Trish PattersonYou are the light of the world A city on a hill cannot be hidden Shine your light before all men That they might see your works and then Praise your Father up in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) Chorus from the title track by Third Day Standing side stage at the Gene Eugene Tribute at Cornerstone 2000, a stranger passed by and handed me a CD. At that moment it was too dark to see, so when I got back to…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Mike L. EhretLately worship music has become a more recognized genre within the contemporary Christian music market. Everyone is releasing music and putting the "worship" label on it. Some of it is truly worship music and some isn't. Essential Records will soon release (Aug. 22) City on a Hill. Of all of the worship music produced so far this year this project is the finest. From the opening song "God of…
