Friday, June 26, 2009

Hillsong United: New album review


Hillsong United, not to be confused with Hillsong, has released a brand new album titled, A_CROSS// The EARTH: Tear Down the Walls. The album as a whole is what you would typically expect from the guys at United. Is it their best work to date? That is debatable. However, there are two tracks that rise above the rest.

Some songs on the album, such as "Desert Song" and "Your Name High," have been borrowed from the "mother band" (Hillsong). Other songs that can only be described as "epic" are, the title track "Tear Down the Walls" and "You Hold Me Now." "Tear Down the Walls" seems, lyrically, to be everything that the band has been trying to get across to their listeners since the beginning. It's a compilation of desires, prayers, and God's children crying out for redemption. Located just after midway through the album, the song is placed perfectly for a great transition into the hymn-melodic track "Soon." Not to mention, the track lasts for nearly ten and a half minutes. So, taking into account the length, the conviction based lyrics, and the number of dynamics, "Soon" is a breathe of fresh air.

Neither Hillsong nor United have a lot of songs based on Heaven. "You Hold Me Now" is definitely icing on the cake for this album. It's not typical "Hillsong style" but it gives this album that little something extra. "No weeping, no hurt or pain/ No suffering/ You hold me now, You hold me now/ No darkness no sick or lame/ No hiding/ You hold me now, You hold me now." These lyrics are only made greater when being sung by the entire Hillsong congregation at the end of the track. One more successful album for Hillsong United, despite the predictable song structures. That's another story for another time.

Source

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Latest Hillsong album set for July release

IN JULY Authentic Music will be releasing the latest album from Australia's megachurch worship phenomenon, Hillsong. 'Faith+Hope+Love' is being released in multi-formats including CD and DVD. Recorded live in March this year over three weekends and locations the project will be Hillsong's 18th live album. Worship was led by such well known Hillsong figures like Darlene Zschech and Reuben Morgan. The album offers "13 songs of faith in the midst of personal circumstances, hope in Jesus for the future, and love - one for another."

Source

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Hillsong United's New Album at #2 on iTunes


Australian-based Christian rock/worship band Hillsong United has earned the #2 spot on the iTunes Top Album Charts for its just released CD A Cross The Earth:Tear Down The Walls. The album sits just behind Eminem's new CD Relapse, which is at #1.

"For a band that is virtually unknown outside the Christian culture to be selling more than Green Day and Lady Gaga and almost as many as Eminem on iTunes, it says something about United's amazing trajectory as an impact artist beyond just the Christian music scene," says Chris Estes, Director of Digital Marketing for Integrity Music, the label that distributes United in the U.S. in a press release. "And, they did all this without traditional industry drivers like heavy radio play and mainstream TV. Not only do they sell out major venues, churches around the world are singing their songs every Sunday."

My first thought was that it's a little ironic to have a Christian band with an album #2 in the nation, and yet still be "virtually unknown outside the Christian culture." I mean, wouldn't it be great if the message of Hillsong United and this album - Jesus Christ, compassion, social justice - was being heard in every corner of the market? Isn't that kind of what we're supposed to be doing, sharing the gospel and preaching Jesus to every corner of the globe, not preaching to the choir?

I'm not faulting Hillsong United, just questioning the reality that oftentimes the very things the world needs to hear are kept under wraps in the Christian culture. It's not Hillsong's fault. It's just the by-product of our commercialized subculture.

Now through August, Hillsong United is playing to capacity crowds, including sell-outs at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, the Roseland Ballroom in New York and the Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre in Atlanta. Remaining shows are:

5/27 Atlanta, Ga.
5/29 Birmingham, Ala.
5/30 Nashville, Tenn.
6/1 Washington, D.C.
6/2 Boston, Mass.
6/3 Virginia Beach, Va.
6/5 New York
6/6 Toronto
6/8 Grand Rapids, Mich.
6/9-10 Chicago (Willow Creek Conference)
8/21-22 Los Angeles (Encounterfest)
8/24 Denver, Colo.
8/25 Dallas
8/28-29 Miami (Encounterfest)

Updated tour details for Hillsong United can be found at the Hillsong United website.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

U.S. Fans Make Australian Rock Band Hillsong United A Bonafide Grassroots Sensation

a_CROSS//the_EARTH: Tear Down The WallsROCKETS TO #2 ON U.S. iTUNES TOP
ALBUMS CHART

Contemporary Christian Rock Band Sells Out Atlanta-Area 12,000-Seat
Verizon Amphitheatre on Current North American Tour

NEW YORK, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- American fans of Hillsong United, the
Australian rock band, are building a grassroots bonfire under the group
as a_CROSS//the_EARTH: Tear Down The Walls, the band's newly released
live album, rockets its way to the #2 position on the U.S. iTunes Top
Albums chart.

A musical dark horse on the iTunes chart, a_CROSS//the_EARTH: Tear Down
The Walls catapulted over mainstream competition last week from Adam
Lambert, Keith Urban, Green Day and Lady GaGa.

Fans have been generating standing-room-only ticket sales for Hillsong
United on the North American leg of the group's
a_CROSS//the_EARTHSpring Tour 2009 (please see itinerary following). On
Wednesday night (May 27), Hillsong United sold-out the 12,000 seat
Verizon Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia, just outside Atlanta,
delighting their ecstatic fans with an evening's worth of electrifying
spirit-filled rock presented in an astounding concert environment of
state-of-the-art light and sound.

Hillsong United is the music-making world-touring youth ministry of the
Hillsong Church, a pentecostal congregation located in Sydney,
Australia. Featuring Brooke Ligertwood and other charismatic worship
leaders and performers, Hillsong United host Encounter, an annual youth
conference, in the U.S. each summer, drawing thousands of fans from
across the country. This year's Encounter conferences will take place
at the Anaheim Convention Center (August 21-22) and the University of
Miami (August 28-29). For more details, please visit
www2.hillsong.com/united/#/encounter.

The Hillsong Church produced its first praise and worship CD, The Power
of Your Love, in 1992. The first Hillsong United release, the four-song
EP One, was released in 1998 and bundled with the annual Hillsong live
album. Since those humble beginnings, more than 6 million Hillsong CDs,
DVDs and other branded units have sold in the United States, with
Hillsong United selling more than 560,000 pieces in the U.S.

a_CROSS//the_EARTH: Tear Down The Walls, the latest in a line of live
Hillsong United albums beginning with 1999's Everyday, has been drawing
rave reviews:

Kevin Davis, writing for the Christian Music Review, called the album
"...a must have for your praise and worship collection."

Andree Farias, in Christian Music Today, found "...a combination of
stadium-sized praise rockers and ballads..." in the album while noting
that "Hillsong United goes back to their old ways with energy and
passion....In case you've been living under a rock, take heed: Hillsong
United is the biggest youth worship band on the planet."

"Hillsong United return with their first live CD recording since 2006,"
wrote Leigh DeVore in Charisma magazine. "a_CROSS//the_EARTH: Tear Down
The Walls features 12 songs, including 11 new tracks, in Hillsong
United's signature power, pop-rock worship melodies. The crowd stays
involved on this rousing CD, with its good mix of feet-stomping tracks
and heart-moving ballads....Hillsong United continue to usher crowds
into the presence of God with energetic, faith-building songs. Fans
will be so glad to hear them again...."


Hillsong United - U.S. Tour dates
Fri 5/29 Birmingham, AL The Basement at Cathedral of the
Cross
Sat 5/30 Nashville, TN Curb Event Center
Mon 6/1 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavillion
Tue 6/2 Ocean Grove, NJ Great Auditorium
Wed 6/3 Virginia Beach, VA Wave Church
Fri 6/5 New York, NY Roseland Ballroom (sold-out)
Sat 6/6 Toronto, Ont. Christian Heritage Day
Tue-Wed 6/9-10 Chicago, IL Willow Creek Conference
Fri-Sat 8/21-22 Los Angeles, CA Hillsong United Encounter - LA
Fri-Sat 8/28-29 Miami, FL Hillsong United Encounter - Miami

www.hillsongunited.com

www.IntegrityLive.com

www.columbiarecords.com

SOURCE Integrity/Columbia Records

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

BLOG with Hillsong chief Brian Houston now


HILLSONG founder Brian Houston has appealed to his new flock at Garden City Christian Church to hold the faith.

Mr Houston said he hoped the community would hold-off passing judgment following his appointment to lead the 1000-strong Mt Gravatt church.

“Give it time and just see the real effect on people’s life,” Mr Houston pleaded.

More than 20,000 people attend Hillsong on Sunday in Sydney and Mr Houston says he is hoping that his Mt Gravatt ministry will be able to connect with people in Brisbane.

Mr Houston refers to last month’s takeover of Garden City Christian Church by Hillsong as a partnership.

He said the Rover St church, now known as Hillsong’s Brisbane campus, is its own legal identity, has its own assets and will decide its own future, but its faithful and the sign on the door belong to Hillsong.

Mr Houston says he has no problem with concerns that older long-time members of the former GCCC do not fit the perceived demographics of Hillsong.

“My experience in life is people come and people go and they are allowed to do that and I think the answer to that is it will come down to different individuals,” he said.

“At the end of the day you can only build a church on people who want to be there and want to be part of it.

“There is no doubt there is a lot of young people at our church, at Hillsong Church, but there is a good mix of people.”

When questioned about controversy that goes hand in hand with mentioning Hillsong, Mr Houston said: “We are an easy target.”

Mr Houston and his wife will continue to live in Sydney, and Pastor Steve Dixon is the local campus pastor at the Mt Gravatt church. Mr Houston said Mr Dixon’s position as the local campus pastor had no time frame.

“To me. the way it works is basically to work with lots of people and empower a great team of people and by empowering I mean really work with people on the ground and I fully intend to do everything I can to be here often and really put in ourselves.”

Source