CD Review: All of The Above - United

I'm not sure about the reason behind it but this time around, United
decided to do a studio effort rather than the usual live recording that
they have been doing the past years. Although the album somehow
lacked the energy that is evident from any live recording, this
album never lackedthe spirit of worship. The desire to worship
God in spirit and in truth (the be all and end all of all worship
recordings) is very much alive in this album. On the other hand,
since this is a studio recording, the arrangement and production
is so squeaky clean you can see your reflection from it.

The album contains 13 spunky new tracks, the song "Found" which
debuted on the "Mighty To Save Album" made a reapperance here as
a drum-looped and effects-laden worship gem totalling (?) the
lineup to 14. The album kicks off with "Point of Difference" a
lament about one of the worsening problems we have in the world
today: apathy. This song calls us to chip off this block of ice
with God's love and thus making a difference in the world. "Break
Free" is danceable track that actually has the word "dance" in
it's lyrics. You will be easily get hooked with the opening guitar
riff, and when the complementing bass line sets in, dancing is not
even an option.:)"Desperate People" is one of the top songs in the
album. The United team made an extensive touring of Asia (including
the Philippines) last year and probably have seen a lot from their
trip. This song strike me as something about helping each other out,
our common cause.

The album features a new worship leader named Brooke Fraser (my
brother was bragging about meeting her last year in the conference).
She wrote and sang two wonderful songs here in the album, "Lead Me To
The Cross" and "Hosanna" which I guess is one of the highlights of
the album. She has a solo album out and it is released by a different
label. Search her on Youtube and you will find some of her videos. The song "Solution" can very well be the "carrier" single of this album.
This is one of the only three songs you will find in the bonus DVD
(Hosanna and Saviour King are the other two). Co-written by Matt
Crocker, this song by Joel Solution is a rocker and may already be a
favorite among youth groups. Once again Joel made reference about
helping broken nations.

The songs in this album is heavy with guitars textured in digital delay.
Not U2-esque but Bloc Party-esque kind of playing. The use of post-punk
guitar showmanship is a welcome for me. Alavet. The album is currently
distributed in the Philippines by Praise Records, look for it in your
friendly neighborhood House of Praise outlets.

Rating: Four Point Five