Hillsong United — Across the Earth

7/10 After 2007’s breakout All of the Above, which cracked the billboard charts, and two years of non-stop touring, Hillsong United must have been exhausted. There is a weariness to 2009’s Across the Earth that shows the band going through the motions to a degree.The opening trio of songs are decent enough, but sound like

You Shouldn’t Expect the Feeling to Go Away

It’s the trade-off for actually having had something.

Hillsong United — The I Heart Revolution: With Hearts As One

8/10 Hillsong United decided to follow All of the Above, their biggest triumph yet, with a victory lap. The I Heart Revolution follows the best incarnation of the band to that date around the planet as they play their best songs. Almost every corner of the globe is represented, with performances from every continent but

What I’d Like to Do to Calc II

Hillsong United — All of the Above

8/10 Considering that people essentially “graduate” from Hillsong United as they get older, it’s hard to pinpoint the reason for United’s positive artistic growth over the years. Maybe it’s learning from predecessor’s work. Maybe it’s the college football effect, i.e. a more talented class of youngsters comes in and produces better results. Being in your

Hillsong United — Best Friend

5/10 After dominating the mid-90’s worldwide worship scene, Hillsong Church had a pretty good idea: get out of the way and let the younger members of the church make their own music. The “grown ups” would continue to release albums under the “Hillsong” moniker, while the twenty-somethings would make their own albums as “Hillsong United.”

He Is Legend — It Hates You

9/10 By the end of 2004, I was too old for most of Solid State Records’ roster. Since I grew up with old school metal and Solid State in its infancy, all the screamo bands the label had been signing at the time seemed beneath my college graduate ears. I lumped He Is Legend into

Hanson — Shout It Out

7/10 Hanson follows “The Walk” with what is essentially, “Walking On Sunshine, The Album.” The weight lent to “The Walk” by the band’s trips to Africa is missing on Shout It Out. What’s left are the standard, lightweight, pop-rock songs Hanson have staked their name on, except of course these guys are hitting their 30’s now.

Hanson — The Walk

8/10 My wife gave me the first shock early in our relationship.“I have to tell you,” she said, “that I’m kind of obsessed with Hanson.”My skin prickled. “Like how obsessed?” I asked.Like most guys who came of age (went through our teens) in the 90’s, my first experience with Hanson was that “MMMBop” video, and

Hans Zimmer — Inception: Music from the Motion Picture

8/10 Inception is a rare beast, the idea film with action scenes set on a huge scale. We really haven’t had one this good since Bladerunner in 1982 (I consider the Matrix trilogy to be action films with ideas, though that line of films is pretty rare in itself). Both films share a common theme: