Reviewed by Peter Dilley

It's been a few years since people first began to latch on to the happening Australian praise and worship scene, and latterly there's been quite a stream of Antipodean releases for punters to pick and choose from. Dating back to March 1995 'Friends In High Places' is one of a 'live' series from renowned Hillsongs team, whose core songwriters/musicians first made their mark on the 'Totally Radical/Rock The Flock' albums - Geoff Bullock, Russel Fragar and Darlene Zschech (a name that resembles a dodgy Scrabble hand - 26 points!). To my reckoning what sets Australian-sourced recordings apart from many US/UK worship releases is not so much their innovation as the unrestrained energy and vitality - if they're getting into a groove they really do make it funky ("Praise His Holy Name", "Salvation", "Holding On", "King Of Kings"), with kickin' rhythm and brass sections to spice it up; and when they're into good time rock and roll ("Friends In High Places", "Rock Of The Ages", "I Can't Wait") it sounds like it. After 15 songs you may be out of breath, but I guarantee you won't be bored.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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