Anthems of praise

Bluetree have not done much since they released their début album (apart from being smuggled into Burma and playing for 15,000 refugees on the Burma-Thailand border). That first album was strong, including the superb “God of this City,” written spontaneously while worshipping in a bar in Thailand’s red light district.

All this gritty stuff gave me high hopes for this new release, especially given the title. We should have some songs about impacting the poor, working for social justice or songs with peo- ple’s stories, à la Gareth Davies-Jones.

As it happens, this could have been written by anyone following a lyrics-bynumbers model (those of you with worship lyrics bingo cards might strike lucky tonight if yours includes “Be lifted up”, “Lifting you higher”, “Magnify” or, for a plagiarism bonus, “What heights of love, what depths of peace.”

This said, if you are going to buy generic praise albums, this is how to get a good one. There are several anthemic tracks, or sections within them; it bursts with passionate vocals that leave me in little doubt as to the band’s gratitude to God and sincerity; and the whole project is produced with skill to maximise each track for a mainstream audience.

If you can’t get enough Tim Hughes, or miss the music that Delirious? were making towards the end of their career, this could suit you to the ground.