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With more than 11 million albums sold and dozens of songs sung weekly in congregations around the world, Hillsong returns with its 20th annual recording, God Is Able, releasing today on Sparrow Records. Recorded with thousands of worshippers gathered together at Sydney Entertainment Centre in Australia, the acclaimed album delivers 11 brand new anthems led by Hillsong worship team members Reuben Morgan, Joel Houston, Ben Fielding, Darlene Zschech and UNITED, as well as international teams from London, Stockholm and Cape Town.
Leading up to today’s full release, iTunes and Hillsong partnered exclusively to release one single per week from God Is Able over the last month to bring an early awareness to the project. As the full album went on sale today, it already shot to No. 1 on the iTunes Christian Albums Chart and into the Top 10 on the overall albums chart amidst 5-star reviews on the site. As the album resonates with people, its message is simple, yet profound: God’s ability is infinite in capacity and yet entirely intimate in focus.
“God is able to meet us, help us through our personal struggles, our pain, confusion, our fears and our loss carrying us to a place of comfort, peace and security,” says Reuben Morgan. “He gives us hope for the future, an understanding of our significance and value found in Jesus. God is able in your life, and in your every circumstance.”
The album includes the passionate praise of “Rise,” a song by Joel Houston that speaks to the unending faithfulness of God in the midst of whatever is going on in our world, “Alive In Us,” an anthem featuring the vocals of Darlene Zschech and celebrating Jesus’ ultimate victory over all death, and the album’s title track, written by Reuben Morgan and Ben Fielding, that is an upbeat and instantly singable reminder of the greatness of the One we are called to worship.
“So many of the songs on the album are linked by this theme of overcoming – from ‘Rise’ to ‘The Lost Are Found,’ ‘With Us’ to ‘You Are More’ – and yet it’s not an album of laments,” notes Morgan. “This sort of paradox is typical of worship, and it seems to me that there is always something upside down about singing songs to God. I suppose it’s even there in the titles: we start with ‘Rise’ and come towards the end with ‘The Cry of the Broken.’ Normally it’s the brokenness that precedes the standing up, but in God’s order everything is different: when we rise up and sing it, there should never be too long before we’re aware of the world beyond the walls and our call to be among the people whose journey back to God is still in motion.”
The music featured in this “upside down” approach is connecting with the critics:
“The community of Hillsong hymn writers has blessed us once again with worship that is passionate, melodic, heartfelt and adaptable to many settings-worship focused on God with us-intimate, near, aware of our brokenness and shame-and yet high and lifted up, full of light, reigning over all.” – Worship Leader
“God Is Able is truly stellar, my top overall album by Hillsong and my top worship album of the year. Every single song could be added to your Sunday morning worship set.” – NewReleaseTuesday.com (5-Star Review).
“Modern worship is practically synonymous [with] Hillsong…On this live recording, it’s almost possible to hear the voices singing upward, past raised hands and through the ceiling.” – ChristianityToday.com
“This album has the unmistakable Hillsong sound that we have come to know and love, with high energy musicianship, voices singing out to God, and a huge spark of power.” – LouderThanTheMusic.com (5-Star Review).
In addition to the CD, the God Is Able Deluxe Edition features two bonus songs, while the companion DVD includes chord charts, live videos, acoustic performance videos and the “The Scarlet Thread” bonus video, a compelling 30-minute documentary that weaves the story of God’s redemptive work through Jesus for all of humanity. This “Scarlet Thread” theme is carried throughout the God Is Able album, featured not only in the songs, but even the album cover design. More information on the video and the story behind the God Is Able cover artwork can be found at http://new.hillsongcollected.com/creative/handmaking-god-able-artwork.
Hillsong will bring the music and message of God Is Able to the US on a major market tour in November and December, along with music from a Christmas EP releasing in conjunction with the tour. All the tour dates will be announced soon.
Leading Hillsong Church in corporate worship every week, Hillsong has also received multiple gold and platinum album awards while resourcing the local church with such well known worship songs as “Shout To The Lord,” “From the Inside Out,” “Hosanna,” and “The Stand.” Its song, “Mighty to Save,” penned by Reuben Morgan and Ben Fielding, was awarded the 2009 Dove for Worship Song of the Year and is the current No. 1 Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) song in the USA and Canada sung by an estimated 40 million people every week in church services around the world. Amazingly, Hillsong has 58 top 500 CCLI songs in the US, 74 in Canada, 124 in Australia, 101 in Singapore, 87 in South Africa, 88 in New Zealand and 26 in the UK.
About Hillsong Church:
Based in Sydney, Australia, Hillsong Church is one of the world’s fastest-growing ministries, with a 25,000-plus strong congregation in Australia, as well as one of the largest evangelical churches in London, Cape Town and Kiev. Hillsong also has churches in Stockholm and Paris, and is establishing a new church in New York City. Hillsong Music has earned 30 Gold and Platinum awards around the world.
For more information, please visit: http://live.hillsong.com/, http://www.facebook.com/HillsongLive, http://twitter.com/hillsonglive.
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