Newday 2011: We Are Yours Review

Thousands of teenagers gathered to the 8th annual Newday festival last summer. Like previous years, the week included teaching, sports, and lots of music!

In ten days time, the result of a lot of hard work from musicians, sound engineers and producers will finally be released. While previous Newday albums have felt rushed, I’m pleased to report We Are Yours has captured the Newday atmosphere extraordinary well.

The album is a little on the short side with just 10 tracks. 4 out of 10 songs are covers, leaving 6 originals penned by the four worship leaders featured: Simon Brading, Jules Burt, Sam Cox and Jordan Dillon.

The album opens with one of the most powerful worship songs of the year. Simon Brading’s cover of Matt Redman’s “Here For You” is yet another version of the song to be released in recent months but it still packs a punch.

Track 2 is Jules Burt’s “No One Better”. It’s a good song, but it’s her other track “Devotion” that really makes its mark. Clear vocals, complex guitar riffs and simple drumming make it the stand out song, and the one to (legally!) download if you don’t want to fork out the £10.99 for the full album.

Title track “We Are Yours” is the song everyone from the event is talking about. From a musical perspective I wasn’t blown away, but thanks to top notch production, there’s plenty of energy behind every pulsating drum beat chant of “we are youurrrr-orr-orr-orr-orr-orr-orrsss”.

One excellent track I can’t get enough of is “Thank The Lord”. I dare you to listen to it without “getting your grove on”! Featuring some outstanding bass and guitar work, this is the funkiest track ever to appear on a Newday album. Top marks go to Jordon Dillon for this phenomenal effort.

Next up is the song that combines football chants of “Who are ya?” with latin, theology and… more football imagery. “Christus Victor” is without doubt Simon Brading’s biggest song since 2007′s “Our God He Reigns”. If you haven’t heard it yet, you’re in for a treat.

The final track: “Our God Is Holy” comes all too quickly. It feels like the album could have done with a couple more tracks to make it whole. Nevertheless, the contemplative, thoughtful song makes for a fitting end to a powerful album. It’s one of my favourite songs on the record, and probably the best end to any Newday album out there.

I’m very happy to say this Newday album stands out above the rest. One of the reasons is the uniqueness of Newday has been captured on the album. When I listen to other Newday albums, I could be listening to any live worship album. But when it comes to large scale events, the four worship leaders featured on the album lead worship almost exclusively at Newday. This album isn’t about inviting other worship leaders in, but recognising the talent and gifting that Newday has raised up from within Newfrontiers churches. So when you listen to We Are Yours, you are listening to the true sound of Newday.

I often have mixed feelings about including semi-preaches or long prayers in the middle of songs. It’s great at the event when you’re in the moment, but when you’re listening to a CD on repeat, hearing the same prayer or analogy over and over again can start to grate on you. While We Are Yours does have the occasional interruption, it helps add character to the album. Not all live albums have character. Some sound like the band are playing underwater and a choir has been added in post-production. But We Are Yours retains a live atmosphere while recognising the need to add in extra guitar parts and vocal lines in the studio.

All in all it’s a great album and you’re all in for a treat when it drops in 10 days time!

Buy this if you liked: Newday 2010: King Of Nations, 10,000 Reasons, Passion: Here For You

Top songs: Devotion, Thank The Lord, Christus Victor, Our God Is Holy

Rating: 9/10