Reviewed by Pippa Rimmer

Bang!  From the first note this double album explodes with ex-Commissioned member Fred Hammond pioneering a whole new music style that blows the roof off!  What makes it so special?  Better than anything else he's ever done, Fred combines a spine-tingling mix of R & B, a gospel choir and praise and worship, and the effect is stunning.  Musically, it's brilliant, with solid, chunky bass throughout and Hammond's passion is so contagious it should carry a health warning.  He preaches like a man with a burning soul, carried along by Radical For Christ's supportive vocals and a sensitivity that ministers.  'Chapter 1' (CD 1) bursts open with the rafter-raising opener, "Let The Praise Begin", setting the mood - a blend of funky, upbeat, irresistible praise which merits a response of heart and soul.  "Please Don't Pass Me By" takes it nice and mellow - a heart-stopping song about blind Bartimaeus crying out to Jesus as he passed by, begging for Jesus to notice him.  The song draws wonderfully poignant parallels with us today.  The swinging "I Will Bless His Holy Name" sees some RFC choir members giving it their vocal best while the excellent bass (played, incidentally, by Fred who sings at the same time!) pulses away underneath it all.  Fred and the crew pump it up on the lively "No Way No Way (You Won't Lose)", cutting footloose and laying into a groove - and watch out for a great bit of sax at the beginning!  The lovely "I Wanna Be Yours" is a beautiful ballad about the love affair between us and Jesus which stopped me in my tracks.  Moving on to 'Chapter 2' (CD 2, which is mostly a collection of songs taken from 'Chapter 1' which also feature on the new live video, plus a few new ones thrown in) after a reprise of "Let The Praise Begin", we're regaled with that old classic "When The Spirit Of The Lord".  This golden oldie is given the Hammond treatment - slabs of gospel, vamped up by a funky backbeat, providing this song a whole new face lift!  I hardly recognised it!  Also spotted in the Hall Of Fame is "Glory To God".  Written by Hammond himself in days of yore, it gets a re-do as well, with plenty of horn effects and drum licks if you like a little bit of an extra kick.  The song mutates into a spontaneous bit of worship as Fred lets it rip and Kim Rutherford preaches it and takes it into the inspiring "Teach Me Your Ways" ( a reprise of "I Wanna Know Your Ways" on CD 1).  We're back to some good ole time gospel with the gospel classic "Jesus Is All", peppered with witnessing and testifying before leading into Hammond's own version of the song.  As expected, this live CD catches the atmosphere of a live recording with plenty of talkie bits and background murmurs.   All in all, this is a stonker of an album, a real pot pourri of flavours with a bit of something for everyone.  Definitely THE gospel album of the year so far.

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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