Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

The name of Gaither is synonymous with a particular brand of Southern gospel music which lends towards what our American cousins revere as "inspirational", but what to British ears is totally OTT. This particular release in Word's Songs Of Worship And Praise series is Bill and Gloria Gaither with their long-time sidekick Gary McSpadden as the Bill Gaither Trio, live in concert in Opry Hall, Nashville, which is an excuse for some cornball introductions and exhortations to "sing along with us, chorus or verse, it doesn't matter, just make sure you're singing the same song as we are..." etc, etc. It's very jolly, very laid back, very cringe worthy and totally irritating. To make things worse, this very same series of albums gave us "Heaven In View", accurately described as "the best of Southern gospel." I found myself totally unable to relate to songs with titles like "Things I Must Tell The Children" or "Your First Day In Heaven" and the Gaithers are beginning to sound a bit frayed at the edges as Anno Domini catches up with their vocal chords. Sadly, this is something else (along with Cedarmont Kids albums) that doesn't cut the mustard on this side of the pond.

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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