Newsboys

In the Hands of God
InPop

For years now, reviews of Newsboys records have read like Wikipedia entries, bullet-pointing the band’s illustrious 25-year, 14-album career before moving onto to the musical details.

One reason is that unlike other bands, the Australian legends have maintained an uncanny consistency in sound (give it five seconds — if you know the Newsboys, you’ll know it’s a Newsboys song), thanks in very large part to singer Peter Furler’s distinct voice and Aussie inflections.

This record is no exception; from the energetic, disco-driving opener “The Way We Roll” (which, fittingly, recounts the band’s early days) to the cover of Hillsong United’s “Lead Me to the Cross,” “In the Hands of God” is classic Newsboys, even down to the songwriting work of Steve Taylor, who was a driving force on 1994’s “Going Public” — arguably the group’s best record.

But it might be the last time that can be said as Fuller recently announced his retirement — at least from behind the microphone — and replacement by DC Talk’s Michael Tait.

This is to say, if you’re a Newsboys fan, you need to get this record: it’s good — kind of great actually. But unless Tait can affect his accent to Australian, it might also be, effectively, their last.