Hillsong UNITED – ‘Of Dirt And Grace’ album review

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Hillsong UNITED took to the Holy Land to record their newest album, Of Dirt And Grace (Live From The Land) (buy), a live recording front to back of their most recent studio release, EMPIRES. The total package includes both audio and video, and when taken together, the power of many of these songs really come alive when combined with a biblical backdrop. It’s also nice to hear organic versions of studio favorites like “Here Now (Madness),” “Street Called Mercy” and “Prince Of Peace.” In addition, three bonus tracks bring “I Surrender,” “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” and “Scandal Of Grace (I’d Be Lost)” to life in the same setting. Hearing the latter two tracks in this similar setting makes the listener wish for an unplugged “best of” album, but that’s wishful thinking for later. The power of EMPIRES’ songs are not lost in this new setting, but rather imbued with a sense of holiness in this live experiment.