Reviews

Source: Delirious.org.uk
Author: Dave Wood
Date: 17 Oct 2005

We Must Go - Soul Survivor Live 2005 (Various Artists)
[47:57] Survivor Records - SURCD5048 - Released: 31 Oct 2005

Soul Survivor is an annual Christian summer festival that takes place in Somerset in the UK. The event has been taking place for more than a decade, and Delirious? have been performing at Soul Survivor for nearly as long. This worship album was recorded live at the event in August 2005 when Delirious?, amongst others, lead worship. Included on the album are songs performed by Tim Hughes and Hillsong, but of particular interest to Delirious? fans is be the inclusion of live recordings of the Delirious? songs 'God In Heaven' and 'Now Is The Time'. Neither track has ever been released on a live album to date, making this a very special and unique worship compilation.

The album opens with two songs by Tim Hughes, 'See His Love' and 'Almighty God'. Both successfully cross the divide between the type of song that is sung 'to' a crowd and the type of song which a worship leader sings 'with' a crowd. Tim's vocals are well sung and easy to listen to and his band sound superb. In 'Almighty God' the guitars are particularly notable.

Delirious? make their first appearance in the third track. The cheering from the crowd introduces the high energy rock worship song 'God In Heaven' [4:26]. Opening with a pounding guitar and punchy drum beat. The recording brilliantly captures the live sound of Delirious? performing at their best. The music almost seems to scream out from your speakers as the song reaches fever pitch in the instrumental section towards the end, complete with a rock and roll style finish.

Two more tracks from Tim Hughes are next, the slightly over repetitive 'For You' followed by the excellent 'Everything' (not the Delirious? track of the same name!) with its mellow worshipful feel. The Hillsong band have the following two tracks, 'To The Ends Of The Earth' and 'Shout Unto God'. The first starts quietly, building later and with lengthy periods of well performed instrumental sections. The crowd sing along quietly and before you notice it the song has merged into the next track which is of similar style.

The Delirious? song 'Now Is The Time' [4:16] comes next. The slow but steady rhythm and distorted guitar opening announce that this is the original version of the song, before it was re-recorded at a faster tempo for inclusion on the band's 'The Mission Bell' album. Martin's vocals are warm and heart felt as he leads the faintly apparent crowd through the chorus. The urgency of the bridge is reflected in his voice and the music, followed by some blistering work on the guitar from Stu G. Bass and drums support the song brilliantly and the crowd give a well deserved cheer as the song comes to an end.

Tim Hughes is next with two more songs, 'How Great Is Our God' a slower quieter song, and 'Every Heart Must Sing' which is more of a spontaneous 'moment' of repeated lines than a full blown song. 'Superlatives' by Mark Beswick and Power Praise is next. Gently sung with a hushed female choir doing most of the singing, in between a few spoken words from Mark. The album ends with title song 'We Must Go', again by Tim Hughes. As a theme song it does exactly what you'd expect, lyrically strong and pleasing to listen to. It is a modern day hymn where singing takes center stage and the background music is less important but no less excellent.

This live album is a real treat for Delirious? fans. The band have long been known to sound better live than they do in the studio, and the shrewd choice of these two fantastic tracks that have yet to be released in their live setting makes it well worth adding to your music collection. The other ten songs offer a good mix of well performed worship music that will not disappoint music fans. The only minor complaint with the album is the general lack of crowd noise during the songs. If you like your 'live' albums to really sound live, then this absence may seem disappointing. It's a matter of personal preference and insignificant when the quality of the music recording is so high. Overall it's a superb live worship compilation.