Bluetree - God Of This City
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Title:
God Of This City
Type:
Album
Released:
24 Feb 2009 (US), 02 Jun 2009 (UK)
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Review
Whilst it may look like a new album, Bluetree's 'God Of This City' is, in fact, the fourth incarnation of their popular debut album. In 2007, their independent release 'Greater Things' caused a stir in the UK, to the point that Furious? Records re-mastered and re-released it in 2008. In 2009, it was restyled as 'God Of This City' for release in America. It is this new version that has been placed on the Survivor label for this third UK release.
There are several great moments on 'God Of This City'. 'When I Survey' remains one of the greatest worship songs...
Read More Whilst it may look like a new album, Bluetree's 'God Of This City' is, in fact, the fourth incarnation of their popular debut album. In 2007, their independent release 'Greater Things' caused a stir in the UK, to the point that Furious? Records re-mastered and re-released it in 2008. In 2009, it was restyled as 'God Of This City' for release in America. It is this new version that has been placed on the Survivor label for this third UK release.
There are several great moments on 'God Of This City'. 'When I Survey' remains one of the greatest worship songs ever written, and this Bluetree rendition is certainly up there with the best. The popular song 'God Of This City' has a fresh and uplifting sound and an excellent chorus. The highlight of the album is almost certainly 'Life's Noise', a diverse track that blends different styles and speeds to create a rousing anthem that acts as a fantastic opener. 'River' initially sounds like a pretty run-of-the-mill ballad until about half way through, when the singer suddenly unleashes the encouraging chant: "he's not finished with you yet!" The atmospheric 'Who Has Held' is also a real highlight.
The album has certainly generated enough hype to suggest that it is an instant classic, but is this really the case? It's a difficult question to answer. Worship albums are not easy to review, mainly because you have to be careful about sounding unfairly negative. Whatever your personal feelings are about an album, the fact remains that the songs themselves, words and music, are individual offerings of worship to God. It's not for us to judge whether or not they are good or bad. However, it has to be said, whilst the songs themselves are solid, the complete album doesn't quite feel as strong as you would expect. You can't doubt the passion of the band, which shines through on many occasions, but unfortunately the track arrangement has resulted in several of the slightly weaker songs being grouped together at the front of the album. In turn, this causes the first half to be reasonably forgettable when placed in contrast with the much stronger second half (although in all fairness, this may just be down to the rearrangement of tracks for each release). Additionally, whilst on several occasions the record comes close to being really diverse, with tracks like 'Life's Noise', it tends to veer quickly back towards well produced, but ultimately more conventional songs like 'Each Day.'
I'm sure many will disagree, but I personally don't consider 'God Of This City' to be an instant classic. It's certainly not bad by any means, it has some great moments, but I honestly can't see people discussing it in years to come. However, despite its flaws, there is more than enough evidence on this record to suggest that Bluetree are capable of creating a truly great and diverse album next time round. Watch this space.
Buy the album.
Review by J Alexander
LTTM Rating 3 out of 5 Stars
Stand Out Tracks
God Of This City
Life's Noise
When I Survey Articles
Belfast-based worship band Bluetree are having their spectacular debut album re-titled, repackaged and re-released in the UK. 'God Of This City' is released today, 19th June, by Survivor Records. Says Jonathan Brown at…
The LTTM 'Classic Album Of The Week' is Bluetree with 'God Of The City'.Title:God Of This CityArtist:BluetreeReleased:24 Feb 2009 (US) 02 Jun 2009 (UK)Review: Whilst it may look like a new album, Bluetree's 'God Of This City'…
