JourneyOnline
Hillsong United
Music CD/DVD
Hillsong Music Australia
RRP $29.95
“Look to You" is the latest live youth album from the Hillsong stable. The CD comes standard with an accompanying DVD featuring some but not all the songs. A CD backing track is also available.
Upon review, I discovered the wisdom of the inclusion of the DVD. The CD alone gave the sounds, but I was not introduced to the experience, until I viewed the DVD.
The fast moving camera shots, micro-second close ups, fast zooms, in focus to out of focus, moving aerial cameras, bouncing mosh pit worshippers moving as one organism, all create an atmosphere well suited to its target demographic, but could make the heads of others spin.
For those in their early 40’s and beyond, it could be a genuine cross-cultural effort to enter into this worship experience.
Some songs are fast and loud, others are slow and reflective. The lyrics are simple and repetitive. The lack of theological depth may cause some to cringe, but is appropriate to this genre which values experience over words.
The emphasis of the lyrics is praise to God for all that he has done for "me", accompanied with expressions of commitment, faith and evangel. It takes a very individualist view of salvation, mission and worship. But that’s just the lyrics. The experience pulls the individuals into a collective, creating a unified worship experience.
The album features excellent musicians and for a live album, the mixing is superb. Electric guitar is outstanding, adequate to good vocals and the drumming is sensitive to the mood. The lack of mix volume for acoustic guitar left me wondering if they served as props for the worship leaders.
For someone as old as me (36) I was saved by the mix down and my own personal volume control. I enjoyed it more after seeing the DVD, but fear I would not appreciate the volume of the live experience.
