It'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 populist successor to the At The Foot of the Cross series, produced by Steve Hindalong, and bringing together artists such as the Choir, Sixpence None the Richer, Jars of Clay, and Third Day. The result is a consistent and relaxing collection of sophisticated pop worship songs.
The popularity of live releases never seems to dim, due in large part to the impact many of the events so captured have on those in attendance and the inevitable desire to have some tactile souvenir of a cathartic event. Nevertheless the sheer volume of these releases does seem to reduce their impact and there is a fine line to be walked between giving the public what they want and demeaning the value of "worship music" by flooding the market with packaged and homogenized versions of it. It is therefore encouraging to see artists, including an increasing number of American artists, releasing albums which have a distinctive edge. More of the latter please.
Other coverage for this album
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…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Michial FarmerCynic 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…
