(It's also interesting that Newsboys' official site says that Adoration is "getting rave reviews for both its spiritual and musical depth." Really? One happy review and three disappointed reviews coming right up after this one.)

    As another review pointed out, "He Reigns" is more about worship than it is worship (and "Hallelujah" is the same way). "Adoration" is Christmas-like, not a easy-to-praise-God-with kinda song. "Take My Hands (Praises)" is copied off the Shine the hits song "Praises," and doesn't equal it in worth. Of the other six songs, two are from Newsboys' last CD, and two more are old favorites. That leaves two good, new, worship songs: "Great Is Your Faithfulness" and "Father, Blessed Father." On the other hand, even if it's not new, "Amazing Love" is an awesome worship song, and Newsboys did a nice job on it too. Ditto on "In Christ Alone."

    Adoration is decent, but it would have been a lot better if they had spent more time on it. It's not like they haven't been busy, what with a remix CD, a live DVD, a song for the VeggieTales movie Jonah, and another Phil Joel solo album all in the past year, to name a few. And besides, their last good real CD, Thrive, came out just last year. We could have waited a little longer.

    So in conclusion, unless you really like Newsboys and want it for the collection, don't buy it. If you want worship, there are plenty of other great CDs out there (try Passion, MercyMe, or Third Day's Offerings II), and if you just want good music, there is plenty of that too (try Switchfoot's The Beautiful Letdown, or Audio Adrenaline's Worldwide). Sorry, 'boys, but it could have been better.

Music Variety: 6 of 10
Musical Talent: 8 of 10
Lyrical Value: 10 of 10
Worth Buying: 2 of 10
Overall Rating: D (65%)

CCM Magazine (May 2003)
Reviewer:Andy Argyrakis
The Bad News: By submitting to that [worship] trend, the band becomes a slave to the predictable and recycled elements of contemporary worship, unequivocally making Adoration the blandest project of its entire career...consider Adoration the rushed strikeout that capitalizes on worship's fashionable state at the expense of artistic integrity.
Grade: D+

ChristianityToday.com
The Good News: Adoration does at least sound good, as co-produced with long-time collaborator Steve Taylor (who also co-wrote many of the new tracks)
The Bad News: The problem with Adoration is the overall album, which might best be viewed as the Newsboys' answer to the success of Third Day's Offerings projects. A combination of originals, covers, and live renditions of old favorites, this new disc feels as if it was scraped together too hastily...Their rendition of Billy James Foote's intimate ballad "You Are My King (Amazing Love)" sounds exactly like every other version you've ever heard, except with Newsboys instrumentation...There's not nearly enough on Adoration to get excited or inspired about — compared to past Newsboys albums or other contemporary worship albums — which is exactly the opposite of what you'd expect from a worship album created with excellence.

JesusFreakHideout.com
The Good News:While this song [Amazing Love] has been covered by worship leaders time and time again, I've yet to hear a rendition as complete and solid as what the Newsboys have done here...Although a different direction for the Newsboys, it's territory they explore and conquer beautifully with Adoration. As pop giants like these guys continue to raise the bar on what to expect in new worship music
Rating: (click the link...I forgot to get it)

CMcentral.com
The Good News: Originals like "He Reigns," "Great Is Your Faithfulness," "Father, Blessed Father," and "Hallelujah" are all fantastic, very much in the vein of the music heard on Thrive, and all very well written and performed. Producer Steve Taylor once again brings his unique touch to the project, bringing out the very best in the Newsboys...The original songs are good enough to merit Newsboys creating their own worship album.
The Bad News: But the remaining tracks are completely unnecessary rehashes of contemporary classics like "You Are My King" and "In Christ Alone," or live versions of tracks from Thrive, such as "Lord (I Don't Know)" and "It Is You."...they take the easy way out by filling the rest of the album with unoriginal, uninspired retreads...just another band selling out to the praise and worship trend.
Rating: (click the link...I forgot to get it)