Worship Volume One: I Stand For You

Sounds like … with a guitar lick or two borrowed from the U2 playbook, Tree63 plays straightforward pop/rock sounds with decidedly worshipful lyricsAt a glance … Tree63's familiar worship songs fare surprisingly rather well with these alternative arrangements, but the real surprise is how great the live tracks translate to CDTrack Listing No Other Treasure Never Be the Same Joy I Stand For You Lift Nothing But the Blood King Have Your Way All Over the World Great Kindness Look What You've Done/Amazing Grace

Since the band's 2000 debut, Tree63 has racked up a catalog of catchy pop/rock gems that primarily focus on worship. And while they've scored several radio hits during the past five years, none have registered with listeners quite as much as "Blessed Be Your Name," the Matt Redman cover song that earned the group a Dove Award and countless other accolades. And while the track is certainly a crowd-pleaser and a staple of church services worldwide, it was a classy move not to include it yet again on Worship Volume One: I Stand For You. Instead, Tree63's other songs get their proper due, as several—including "Treasure," "Joy," "King," and "Look What You've Done"—are showcased live, while "I Stand For You" gets a spiffy new musical sheen that far surpasses the original.

Those live tracks are the true highlights of the project, with fresh arrangements, a killer backing band and the kind of energy that makes you feel like you're at a Tree63 concert. Pure and simple, they work well—really well. But aside from the live tracks and the cover of "Nothing But the Blood," which features a guest appearance from Redman, none of the other songs—including "Have Your Way," "All Over the World," and "Great Kindness"—are dynamic enough to stand out from the rest of the modern worship pack. But that's a small complaint given the quality of the rest of the disc, whether you're already a fan or have yet to discover the South African charm of John Ellis and Co. And if you haven't found it yet, this just may be the place to start.