Delirious?

Item: Mission Bell
Author: Jonathan Avants

Mission Bell

(2005)

Reviewed by Jonathan Avants

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify

Label Sparrow RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2005

modern rock worship

The Mission Bell is a continuity of 2004's World Service, a new worship release calling believers to pick themselves up and engage the world around them. Yet The Mission Bell is also much more--a return to the excitement and passion of their earlier work, a satisfying if not fully realized stretch in musical style, and a saving grace for a great band that was arguably in a slight rut for the past few years. It's a record that uplifts the heart and Delirious' reputation.

The phrase "creative worship" should rightly incite skepticism, yet if ever there was a case that worship music could achieve a definable state as genuine art, this is it. The Mission Bell doesn't just satisfy any Jesus'-per-minute meters in its lines of praise: it completely busts them open. This is the most in-your-face, no-bones-about-it Christian release by any popular artist this year, and frankly, it's a breath of fresh air. I suspect that many listeners, even if not of the Christian faith, may grow to appreciate Delirious' openness about their faith and their goals while also delivering it in an artistically appreciable way. This is not just another popular Christian artist masking their faith in spiritual vagueness, but neither is it a hackneyed Christian release sunk by its own agendas. Delirious is being true to themselves, singing about what they love and what they long for, and doing it in a way that achieves artistic commendation. So they've got their hearts and musical goals in the right place--do they produce good material from it?

Absolutely. The Mission Bell is, for the most part, one captivating worship song after another. Urgent and gliding melodies are underlined with ambient effects, providing just the right balance of flair and nuance. Gospel choirs are used abundantly throughout, and while they seem irrelevant and frivolous in a couple select songs, tracks like "Solid Rock" and "Miracle Maker" are practically made by their excellent choir backing. In fact, the good stuff on The Mission Bell is so good, if the band had slightly reworked a couple songs and excluded one or two others, this may have been a contender for record of the year. Instead, The Mission Bell is a fantastic release with a couple blemishes, deserving of critical praise yet not the masterpiece it reaches so close to becoming.

Yet even with its small problems, The Mission Bell instills a great sense of hope in more ways than one--it lifts the listener up with beautiful, compelling worship, and it comforts fans with the knowledge that, after a decade in the business, Delirious? is still one heck of a great Britpop/worship band. The D boys are as capable as they have ever been, and with The Mission Bell, they're set on course to produce even greater work.

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