A powerful and strong sound has emerged from Texas and marks the return of Preashea Hilliard. The sound of worship is enthusiastically declared on THE GLORY EXPERIENCE, a new deeply profound project from one of Houston’s own.
It has been 6 years since Preashea Hilliard released her last album (2011’s acclaimed, Live Out Loud) and the spiritual and emotional is definitely evident. THE GLORY EXPERIENCE, gives listeners a well rounded and fully complete worship record. Set to be released independently on April 21 via SoundEFX Media distributed by New Day Distributors, THE GLORY EXPERIENCE, is revelatory, poignant, restorative and multi-faceted.
Preashea Hilliard is a bridge builder and a worshipper. From start to finish she presents listeners with the opportunity to connect with God. A true experience, the 15-track album, effortlessly supplies listeners the tools needed for an incredible non-stop worship experience.
“When you have a true sound of worship, the response you get is from Heaven. The basis of the sound of worship is the Word of God … pleasing Him, worshipping Him, extolling Him. It’s the sound that causes Heaven to respond. Worship causes God to stand up,” Hilliard offered.
“I pray that every listener will receive ‘many’ miracles … In every aspect of their lives whenever they play this record, wherever they are listening. I pray
in whatever moment they are in, that God will reveal to them how His Hand is working in every area of their lives,” Hilliard continued. “I hope that they will experience miracles, whether great testimonies or something as honest and small as having a better morning than yesterday … God is always working.”
Listen to “Great Things”:
THE GLORY EXPERIENCE was recorded live at her father’s church, Bishop I.V. Hilliard’s New Light Christian Center North in 2015 at the annual Strategies Conference. The stunning atmosphere of worship during the recording is still palpable on the album. Hilliard explained, “the way the record plays out is exactly how the recording played out that night (live). Track 1-15 was the hit of that night. I wanted to leave the album seamless like that.”
The project kicks off with a beautiful original arrangement of “Isaiah 40” that segued right into a cover of “Heaven On Earth” (David Binion).
In total, 14 songs were ministered but crowd risers like “Let’s Go Up,” “Forever” (laced with a twinge of American Folk) and an exceptional cover of “10,000 Reasons” (Matt Redman) shows the diversity in style that will continue to bridge ethnicities and generational divide. Two stand-outs “No God Like Our God” and “You Amaze Me” (written by Tasha Cobbs) can easily be described as modern day Psalms. Vanguards in the growing gospel-worship movement, Hilliard, and Cobbs represent the future and the collaboration of the two on “You Amaze Me,” resulted in an absolute anthem.
“No God Like Our God,” the album’s first single is distinctly praise and worship and is perfect for corporate worship. As many of her songs are created, Hilliard is often inspired as she leads worship and imbued by Isaiah 64:4, she formulated this song ‘on the y’ while leading praise and worship during a mid-week service. “I had been singing this hook in our church … ‘there is no God like our God.’ At the time I didn’t think it was a song or anything … but I sang it a few years ago at Tasha’s (Cobbs) conference and she pushed me to put it on the album,” Hilliard said. “It is one of those songs that everybody loves and gravitates to and I believe it is something that people can use in their houses of worship and in their own personal time.”
There were a number of powerfully executed songs presented including, “Song of Healing” and “Yes, Our God Still Reigns” that made their mark in a powerful way. Another essential song for Hilliard is “I Believe,” that helps drive the theme of declaration. “You have to believe that God can heal you”, said Hilliard. “Creating this song for healing and miracles is a way for someone to declare out for their mouths that (they) believe in the power of God to heal. It is a way for believers to access and apply their faith.”
“I tried to make every song on the record thematically LIFT the name of the Lord. A thematic about all the things God does for us … songs that repeat the promises of God,” Preashea said. “I am big about declaring … I believe when you say something you SEE something and these songs are tools to access the different parts of the nature of God. God is a healer, he is also a Father, a Protector … He is a Way-maker. He is all of these things. I didn’t want the songs to be emotionally driven but Word-driven.”
Diversity and honesty reign on THE GLORY EXPERIENCE and it is what makes Preashea Hilliard a breath of fresh air in the landscape of today’s music.
