Saviour King (Live)

Saviour King is another notch in the productive annual release schedule of Hillsong, the popular Australian worship team led by Darlene Zschech and her army of worship leaders, instrumentalists, and choristers. After the return to form of 2006's diverse Mighty to Save, this new edition sees the temple worshippers reverting back to autopilot for a lot of the songs, delivering the usual stadium-sized choruses and praise rock, some with melodic lines that even recall past Hillsong favorites. A few of these tunes are slicker, adult-friendlier versions of Hillsong United material, and while less impactful than their youthful counterparts, the songs do stand out, particularly the danceable "Break Free" and the powerful "Hosanna" — perhaps the most stirring call to action ever recorded by the Aussies. The writer of that song, Brooke Fraser, also contributes the lovely "Lord of Lords," a hymn-like, Celtic-inspired piece that stands in stark contrast to the grandiosity of just about everything else. Later, the sweeping "Here in My Life" and the title track also leave a congregational mark, but collectively the highlights aren't enough to render this live recording something special. Instead, Saviour King is more of the same — a likable yet often routine collection of songs from these titans of church music. [Columbia issued a companion DVD in 2007.]