Hillsong’s album for Christmas 2012 has joined my playlist this December. It delivers both well loved carols with a fresh sound, and new songs which celebrate the birth of our Saviour with the flair for worship for which Hillsong is known.

The high energy ‘Born is the King’ (a favourite from Hillsong’s EP released in 2011) features at track 3 with its celebratory call to ‘lift up your voice and sing out his praise’, ‘make a joyful sound’, ‘let his praise resound’ and the reminder ‘born is the King rejoice in the day, it’s Christmas!’ Solid lyrics – ‘born unto us this day a Saviour, gifted from heaven to a manger, the hope of the world, a light for all mankind’ – set to a lively, spirit-lifting tune earmark this song as a joyful modern day Christmas carol.

A new favourite is the recently released ‘We have a Saviour’, the title track of the album. With a more acoustic reflective tone, this song reminds us why we sing at Christmas: ‘sing for the light has come’; and encourages the listener to ‘come and adore him’. The chorus powerfully proclaims, ‘Jesus Emmanuel here with us, tell the entire world, we have a Saviour, we are no longer lost, ‘cause he has come down for us’. The bridge, typical of Hillsong’s worshipful style, reflects ‘His love will reign forever’.

Lovers of traditional carols will be rewarded with favourites such as ‘O Holy Night’, ‘Joy to the World’, ‘O Come All Ye Faithful (entitled ‘O Come Let us Adore Him’), and ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ all performed with joy, skill and style, featuring new arrangements which enhance favourite elements of the old carols without compromising familiar and well loved melodies.

Hillsong Music’s Reuben Morgan describes the album as “organic, earthy and ‘folky’” and says, “We are excited that the album will help people across the world celebrate this important time of year, but we equally want to resource the local church, so that the sound of worship resonates across the world this Christmas.”

Click here to watch the music videos for Born is the King and We Have a Saviour.

Header image: flickr_kamerakamote