In the best of worlds, the praise & worship musician is someone who becomes nearly invisible, their artistry and skill acting as a sacrifice rather than an attention-getting device. Given the high visibility of the talent on City on a Hill—including Jars of Clay, Caedmon’s Call, FFH, Third Day, Sonicflood, The Choir and Sixpence None the Richer—it would seem even more of a challenge for these musicians to "disappear," as it were. But the fact that they succeed, and focus so fully on God, is a testament to the producers’ smart decision to weave this album as a tapestry of voices rather than a series of star-led vignettes.

Indeed, each of the songs on City on a Hill is a collaboration of sorts, sometimes including more than a dozen artists. The album’s engaging opener, "God of Wonders," is a good example, with no less than 12 singers and musicians taking part. Written by Marc Byrd of Common Children and producer Steve Hindalong of The Choir, "Wonders" is a simple declaration of the holiness and majesty of God. From the outset, when Leigh Nash of Sixpence sings the gentle intro—"Lord of Heaven and Earth"—the focus is toward God. Nash then passes the vocal to Third Day’s Mac Powell, who takes a verse and chorus before handing off to Caedmon’s Call singer Cliff Young. By the time it wraps (and Caedmon’s singer Danielle Young weaves in a line from Reginald Heber’s and John B. Dykes’ hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!"), the album’s tone is clearly set—no spotlight-grabbing here, just affection for the Creator.

City on a Hill includes a range of worship "types," befitting the apostle Paul’s admonition to sing "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs." There are vertical praises to God, horizontal gathering-the-people songs and, at the end, a send-the-people-home benediction from Jars of Clay called "This Road." All feature contributions from the bands and session musicians including Phil Madeira, The Choir’s Derri Daugherty and one-time A.D. drummer Dennis Holt, among others.

Among the highlights: Byrd, Hindalong and Gene Eugene (recorded weeks before his death) add subtle instrumentation to "Where You Are," a gorgeous worship ballad from FFH. Peter Furler of Newsboys joins Sonicflood for "Unified," a chugging declaration of unity in Christ. And Jars of Clay’s Steve Mason adds electric guitar to Caedmon’s Call’s "Covenant Song." The further permutations of musicians are too numerous to detail, but the resulting tapestry is, like any great city, rich with diversity.