Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

This album was released the year that I became a Christian and so these were some of the first worship songs that I learned. America's Jesus Music revolution and Britain's charismatic renewal led to an outbreak of what back then were called "choruses" as a radical alternative to the hymns of the traditional church. These simple songs of worship contained the fresh truths being discovered by the Church in a style that was catchy and easy to sing. 'Hosanna To The Son Of David' was the fourth album from Achor which mixed pleasant group vocals with a simple musical backing. Achor, from the North London Community Church, were early pioneers of the UK worship movement and their first album 'The Valley Of Achor: A Door Of Hope' contained a haunting worship song written by Dave Bolton, "Jesus, How Lovely You Are", which circulated widely around the UK Church. This, their last album, was even better. To a more sophisticated modern worship audience, Achor's music might seem simplistic but if like me you were there at the time, these were manna that fed your soul. The production values are obviously dated but the playing is steady and well recorded. So whether it was worship gems like "You Are The King Of Glory" (from which the album's title comes), the intimate "Within The Veil" and "Jesus Take Me As I Am", they all connected and songs like "When I Feel The Touch" and "For I'm Building A People Of Power" were still being sung well into the '80s! If you were there, getting hold of this vinyl album will bring it all back. For everyone else this, and Achor's other three albums, are foundational recordings which need to be recognised for the part they played in the development of modern worship.

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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