If you haven't heard of Planetshakers, you would do well to become familiar with the name. Founded in Australia, they're the country's equivalent to the North America's Acquire the Fire conferences. Christian speakers, energetic worship, Godly fellowship… you name it. What's more, the Planetshakers have begun to invade America, though it may be a while before the word "Planetshakers" evokes the same emotion and respect as "Acquire the Fire" does in the States. But for Aussies, Planetshakers is an annual gathering they cannot live without.

In 2001, the Shakers released one of the best live modern worship recordings ever to grace store shelves. Phenomenon never did get the credit it most definitely deserved, but it was enough to give the conference some "word of mouth" appeal in the states. They followed the live experience with a couple of in studio efforts, most recently Open Up the Gates, which released this year. Both were good, but the raw emotion and passion of the live Phenomenon were severely lacking. And now, Planetshakers releases their fourth live album (originally released in 2003 in Australia) for the first time to the United States. (My King) Live Praise and Worship takes seven tracks from Open Up the Gates, as well as five new ones, and performs them at Paradise Community Church in Adelaide, Australia.

Planetshakers' signature sound returns. Layered male/female vocals are accompanied by modern rock guitar, working with the horns that will make any fan of Five Iron Frenzy jump out of their seat, and the occasional turn tables, believe it or not. In a world where this worship band sounds just like the next one, Planetshakers stands out considerably. The level of excitement and electricity that breeds from their live recordings are unmatched in the Christian market.

The opening track, "Give You Praise," for the most part, sets the pace for what is to come in the next eleven tracks. Though things do slow down, Planetshakers are known for their upbeat, fast paced worship songs that will get stuck in your head for days on end. Both Phenomenon and (My King) Live Praise and Worship seem to have the most steam for the first few tracks, and then slow things down for the remainder of the disc. The power and raw emotion is still there, and they do seem to pick up a bit of steam in places, but it just seems a bit more reserved.

(My King)… may not be as exciting and infectious as Phenomenon, but it is still a disc worth experiencing. Planetshakers are doing things just a little differently than most other modern worship bands. If that's not enough, an added 75-minute live DVD should definitely be enough to encourage any fan of the worship g enre to check this one out.

- Review date: 08/23/04, written by Josh Taylor