Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Music Review


One Sonic Society, Live At The Tracking Room
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

One Sonic Society
Live At The Tracking Room



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 11 tracks: 58 minutes, 44 seconds
Street Date: July 13, 2012 (Digital) / October 2, 2012 (CD)


Despite what would likely be their protestations to the contrary, the members of One Sonic Society have arguably created what has perennially been one of the shortest-lived phenomenons known to the music business - the supergroup. Made up of esteemed composer Jason Ingram, former Delirious? members Stuart Gerrard (guitar) and Jonathan Thatcher (bass), and Hillsong United drummer Paul Mabury, the copiously-credentialed international foursome has slowly, but surely, carved out a slot for itself in the modern praise & worship arena over the course of three EPs and its debut full-length outing, 2011's Forever Reign.

While the majority of bands seem to be driven by the musical inclinations of either their lead singers or most prominent guitarist, the OSS bunch most closely mirrors the sonic proclivity of Mabury's former outfit. Indeed, with their chorus-styled lead vocals, meandering melodies and unrelentingly mid-tempo rhythms, "Always," "Lay Me Down" and "Higher Than All" - the three of which are sequenced one after the other near the beginning of the album - could well have been outtakes from any of the last handful of Hillsong United releases.

Of course, this unmistakable similarity, in and of itself, is hardly a bad thing, particularly in light of the fact that Mabury, himself, may well have had much to do with the sonic textures on at least some of the HU records in question to begin with. The problem, however, lies in the fact that the abovementioned entries, along with similarly generic cuts like "Jesus, Son of God" and "Almighty God," have very little appreciable hook or melody to sink one's teeth into. Indeed, many a listener would be hard-pressed to sing any one of these individual tracks from memory even after multiple listens.

In its defense, the songs on Live At The Tracking Room are scripturally-based, lyrically unambiguous and ultimately uplifting. And one gets the sense that, in the live setting, where mood accounts for as much as (if not more than) melody, these cuts would certainly help set, and maintain, a welcome sense of reverence and meditation. Stripped of the surroundings in which they were delivered, though, their reverential tone is significantly muted as they blend together into a mostly like-sounding whole.

The live project does contain one or two glimmers of light. "God You Are My God" and "As for Me" get a slight nod over cuts such as "Higher" and "Always," thanks to the former pair's iridescent electric guitar work and slightly more pronounced melody lines. "The Greatness of our God," which also appeared on the OSS One EP and Forever Reign album, is certainly an engaging, well-delivered pop tune. And "Forever Reign" - hands down, the most transcendently intimate moment here - evokes the warm, intimate sound of a tight-knit group of seasoned jazz musicians huddled together playing the music they love in a tiny, out-of-the-way jazz club after closing time.

By and large, though, where the best live records tend to unearth new facets of, or offer an entirely different slant on, already-familiar favorites, Live At The Tracking Room, with only one or two exceptions, simply offers slightly less-glossily produced versions of the original studio-based compositions. The band does do a nice job of balancing new and previously-released material (roughly a 50/50 mix), and fans of the Society's back catalog - or the Hillsong United back catalog, for that matter - are likely to find the new project equally to their tastes. But, while there's nothing on the out and out off-putting on the live effort, its overly homogenous musical palette and similarity to the OSS cooperative's previous work unfortunately renders it largely superfluous.

- Review date: 8/31/12, written by Bert Gangl of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

 

. Record Label: Essential Worship
. Album length: 11 tracks: 58 minutes, 44 seconds
. Street Date: July 13, 2012 (Digital) / October 2, 2012 (CD)
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. The Greatness Of Our God [Live] (5:00)
  2. Lay Me Down [Live] (5:13)
  3. Always [Live] (4:44)
  4. Higher Than All [Live] (5:10)
  5. Holy (Jesus You Are) [Live] (5:31)
  6. Jesus, Son of God [Live] (5:36)
  7. Light Shine In [Live] (4:06)
  8. Almighty God [Live] (6:10)
  9. Forever Reign [Live] (6:12)
  10. As For Me [Live] (6:22)
  11. God You Are My God [Live] (4:45)

 

Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

Search JFH



This Friday, July 25, 2025
ALBUMS
Anchor & Braille New Mexico [Equal Vision]
B. Tee Told You [Syntax]
Bride Scarecrow Messiah CD Re-Release [Girder]
KDNS After Eden [Syntax]
Olivia Lane Songs About Jesus (Deluxe Edition) [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard TASHA [Motown Gospel]
Kevi Morse Kingston We Winning [Syntax]
Pulpit Vomit Hospital Lens [Rottweiler]
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno Dance for Jesus - EP (independent)
Taylor & Co Worship Breakthrough - EP (independent)
Josh Wright LEAD (independent)

SINGLES
Sho Baraka Still Got Faith (ft. L3xdivine) - Single [Syntax]
Gracie Binion Easy To Please - Single [BEC]
C4 Crotona Mr. Gritty - Single [Syntax]
Andrew Gonoude Closer To You - Single (independent)
EJ Swavv & Nickwit2Ks Growth - Single [Syntax]
J.Solo All I Have (ft. Kaboose & MotionPlus) - Single [Syntax]
Kings Kaleidoscope + Kings Kaleidoscope Hymns Amazing Grace - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Life In Me - Single [BEC]
Lecrae Bless You (feat. Torey D'Shaun) - Single [Reach]
Hunter Plake Down to Earth - Single [BEC]
QEW JOYXFIX (ft. Stevie Rizo) - Single [Syntax]
Saints in Exile Bad Vibes - Single [Syntax]
Xander Sallows infinite - Single [DREAM]
Silent Reflection Left Me for Dead - Single [Syntax]
John Stratton The Body and the Blood - Single [Pure Mosaic Services]
Joel Vaughn Feel It - Single [DREAM]
Zauntee Jesus Down In Florida - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Bride Scarecrow Messiah Vinyl [Girder]

DVD
Jordan Smith The People's Hymnal DVD [Gaither]

This Saturday, July 26, 2025
SINGLES
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno What Would You Do? - Single (independent)

Next Friday, August 1, 2025
ALBUMS
Crash Rickshaw Big Sir - EP [Velvet Blue]
McKamey Legacy Holding to Truth [Horizon]
Ordained Thunder Roar [Girder]
V1 Worship Archives [DREAM Worship]

SINGLES
Sleeping At Last Believe - Single (independent)

VINYL
Disciple Attack! (Limited Run Vinyl) Vinyl [Girder]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Get all of JFH's indie compilation now totally free!
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images