Hillsong Worship

In recent years, Hillsong Church (originating in Australia) has begun to solidify the differences between their different branches of music. Back in the beginning stages, when music was only released through the church, there was only one division: Hillsong Live. The emergence of Hillsong United (and even more recently, Hillsong Young and Free) proved the church is looking for more ways to differentiate between the church’s various arms, and not just in Australia.

No Other Name officially ushers in the next phase of Hillsong music, changing the name of the long-revered Hillsong Live to Hillsong Worship. Some might think with the change in name comes a change in focus, but No Other Name proves that Hillsong Worship will continue to do what it has done in the past, and be a driving force for the Baby Boomer generation, while their counterparts focus on the millennials.

The songs tend to be long, as most Hillsong albums and songs can be, and, at any point, you expect the singers to jump right into a classic rendition of “Shout To The Lord.” The constant use of similar verbiage, overly-repetitive choruses and no real meat to the songs makes No Other Name a disappointment for worship music. The immediate standout hits, sure to be heard in megachurches and congregations across America and beyond, are “Depths”, and “Broken Vessels,” the latter of which serves as yet another modernized rendition of “Amazing Grace.” The church might be focused on the simple idea of calling out Jesus’ name over these songs, but the album’s gravitas fails to reach the powerful songwriting other groups (Bethel Music, Jesus Culture) are putting together. In all, a disappointment.

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Justin Mabee

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