FAR FROM THEIR COMFORT ZONE
After more than two years without a new studio project, veteran British rock/worship outfit Delirious? extends its relevance on the modern soundscape with
Kingdom of Comfort. This time around the band drew inspiration from its travels to impoverished countries like Rwanda, Cambodia and India. The result is an extraordinary magnum opus reflecting times of deep introspection as well as a newfound commitment to compassionate outreach and social justice.
An otherworldly title track delivers a spiritual body blow right from the start, leveling an indictment against materialism (“Save me…from my unhealthy lust of material things”). Several cuts later, the urgent intonations of “Love Will Find a Way” reveal the band’s discomfort with feeding children in the slums and then staying at a posh hotel (“I stare in the eyes of this flesh and bone/I’m a tourist here, so tomorrow I go home”).
Just when things get intense, the quintet deftly unveils beguiling hymn “How Sweet the Name.” Showcasing Martin Smith’s stout vocal aplomb with Bono-esque fervor, the song presents a compelling reminder that “every soul needs a Savior.”
Synopsis: The group’s finest work to date,
Kingdom of Comfort represents a band in its prime musically and far from being spiritually indifferent. Thank God for that.
-- David McCreary