Reviewed by Matt McChlery

Nightlife Worship began in 2011 as a monthly worship night based at The Bridge Church in Rancho Santa Margarita in California. It was not long before worshippers and musicians were collaborating and writing songs together and with other churches in the area joining in, songs began to emerge from the evening worship sessions which in turn led to the formation of the Nightlife Worship band. More recently a Kickstarter campaign was launched to enable them to record this, their debut full length worship album. The momentum continues with the group now working on a Spanish translation of the 'Arise'. The English language version is an energetic and uplifting album which is full of moody electric guitar and polyphonic synth effects. "Song Of The Redeemed" is based on Psalm 91 and seeks to affirm the singer's identity in Christ. There are some thought-provoking lyrics that attempt to stretch beyond the predictable that so often drag down similar worship projects. The female vocals on "Worthy Is The Lamb" provide a pleasant contrast to the epic sonic landscape of the recording while "You Came Down" is a change of pace and a moving song of reflection. As it turns out, a few more of these and a few less frenetic anthems would have given the album a little more ebb and flow. But as it stands, if you connect with the Passion-influenced approach to full-throttle worship, you'll love this album.

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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