There is no doubt that the fellows of for KING & COUNTRY are among the hardest working lads in all of the music and entertainment worlds. With multiple movies starred in and soundtracked the last few years, the Smallbone brothers must have calendars on their walls without a single day left blank.

But with their new album, the most beautiful colours, it would seem that all that activity has come with a price tag of quality for the work. That's not to say that the band's signature high energy, creative sound is not found on the album from time to time; it's just that too many of the songs here lack the spark that propelled the songs on past projects. Earlier albums by the band, like 2014's Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. or 2018's Burn The Ships exploded with kinetic energy and creative verve, while much of colours seems to be more "paint by numbers" in its approach to what a for KING & COUNTRY album should sound like.

The album does start well, with the rhythmic and vibrant "World On Fire" dancing along with a wall of drumming that will translate well into their live show. With encouraging lyrics, the song cleverly turns the "world is on fire" phrase on its head: "I know this heart got power / These eyes got power / This love got power / This touch got power / Said this heart got power / These eyes got power / I feel it in my veins / I'm dancin' every day like / I am finally alive / I'm gonna set my world on fire / I will never dim my light / I'm gonna set my world on fire." As an interesting turn of phrase and a vibrant melody, "World On Fire" really delivers as a lead single and album opener.

The following "Miracle" is likewise uplifting and epic, with a throbbing baseline and great melody that carries the encouraging lyrics: "What if your life is a musical / Full of the broken and the beautiful? / What if there's joy in the difficult / A little magic in the typical? / The beat of your heart is the signal / That every breath you breathe is powerful / And I see the gold buried deep in your soul / I need you to know, oh, I need you to know / You are a miracle, a miracle / Even when it's hard to see it and harder to feel it / Open up your eyes and start believing / You are a miracle." This song would have benefitted from a bit more of the aforementioned drumming the band is known for, but there is no denying the melody and flow of this inspiring tune.

The "paint by numbers" problem starts to appear with third track "What If I Told You," which sounds and feels a lot like former hits "God Only Knows" and "For God Is With Us" from past albums. The retreading of a formula that works is a classic sign of an artist that is doing too much at present. "Alle" comes next and does sound fresh as a global worship song, but after that, the repeats come again with "Ever & Ever Before," "Thank God" and "A Good Man" all sounding like past songs and a band phoning it in a bit. Thankfully the ending few songs nail the album's theme of beautiful things being created out of messes (like stained glass windows.) The affecting duet, "My Mosaic," featuring former reality star and pop singer Jessica Simpson, and the great closing title track, end things well (I dig that string quartet that ends the album with a fine instrumental).

the most beautiful colours is a mixed bag of an album, with many fine musical moments sitting alongside some uninspired ones as well. Is it fair to compare an artist's latest work against what they have done before? That's an age-old question for music fans and critics alike, but it's a natural one. colours would be a fine album for most bands, but against for KING & COUNTRY's impressive body of work of the last two decades, some of the notes here fall a tiny bit flat.

- Review date: 9/30/26, written by Alex Caldwell of Jesusfreakhideout.com