Shout to the Lord 2000

The energy and power whipped up in the Shout to the Lord 2000, a live album from worship leader Darlene Zschech and her Hillsongs Australia friends, could light the state of California for months. For this 16-song masterpiece, Zschech calls upon friends Ron Kenoly and Alvin Slaughter to add some much-needed soul, not to mention deep baritone vocals, in tracks like "Jesus Is Alive" and the redo of "Shout to the Lord." And you can almost see Zschech levitating on stage, buoyed by a large choral group, as she testifies in moving numbers like "The Potter's Hand" and the closing "Hear Our Praises." This release has yielded many praise-and-worship numbers played in contemporary churches around the world. If you're going to have a sample of what the current praise movement is all about, this is one CD you can't do without. ~Michael Lyttle