Reviewed by Allan Clare

Look away now if you are in any way concerned that your music be perceived as cool. Cool this ain't. 'Rejoice' was released way back in 1981 and was undoubtedly considered pretty naff back then. 2nd Chapter Of Acts were, of course, Jesus music pioneers, beginning in 1973 and consisting of sisters Annie Herring and Nelly Greisen along with brother, the mighty-voiced Matthew Ward. But this album is a long, long way from the group's early pioneering recordings. In truth, if I hadn't had to review this CD I might have thrown it out of the window mid-way through the opening song. It's the title track and it sounds like the safest Hosanna! worship song ever recorded. If you can forgive the 'nifty' Bontempi synth you'll at least appreciate the hyper (but rather clever) harmonies of the group and the superb vocals of Matthew Ward. Add to the mix a couple of ballads that even your Grandmother would find cloying and you might think that only a CCM completist is likely to purchase this CD today. However, there are several disco pop numbers that are, erhem, catchy. Think ABBA meets Queen meets a huge lump of cheese and you get a hint of the almost operatic vocals, the disco driven piano and, yes, the full on guitar solo that is "Don't Understand It". It's been in my head for days and there's more musical creativity in this one song than most artists manage on one album. Elsewhere "Will You Remember Me" and "Nobody Can Take My Life" also remind me of disco style Keith Green. Yes, it is overblown, dated, cheesy and sometimes downright bizarre. But those tunes are pretty good, the vocals and production are excellent and I AM NOT ASHAMED TO SAY - I quite liked it!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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