Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

One does not need to be a great linguist to work out that our English word 'amateur' is connected to the Latin amator, a lover. Too often we use amateur in a derogatory sense, meaning careless, sloppy and unprofessional. Well, let's say it: this is an amateur tape. Nobody is getting paid to sing, therefore it is unprofessional. Got the picture? Or shall we use amateur in the other sense? Here we have an acappella vocal group who obviously who love what they are doing and who love the one about whom they are singing. Sound quality is excellent and the production seems to be professional although no credits are given. If some of these singers came from Nashville rather than Northamptonshire then they could make a living as professional singers. But we all know what the British CCM scene is like: not financially strong enough to support a church mouse let alone a church choir. But you, gentle reader, can play your part by supporting an excellent vocal group. What will you get in return for your fiver? 14 songs in a variety of styles (traditional gospel being the best umbrella heading). We move from the foot stompin' "Get Right Church" and "Said I Wasn't Ready" through to the more reflective "Jesus In The Morning", "Lord Be There", "Worthy The Lamb" and "Holy Father, Grant Us Peace", some of which will be familiar to many praise and worshippers. You may not have heard the African "Mwamba Ni Yesu" but once you have you won't be able to get it out of your mind. Also unfamiliar will be two new songs written by Roy Henderson; "Oh Jesus" and "All I Wanna Do Is Serve", both of which deserve a wider audience. Standout track is Julie Miller's "How Could You Say No", here titled "Is There Any Way". This is a breathtakingly beautiful arrangement of one of the great CCM tracks, Streetlight's version being Number 11 in the editor's Spirit Of Rock And Soul list (see Issue 2 of Cross Rhythms). This one track is worth five pounds of anyone's money but those who have ears to hear will gain much from listening to the whole album. Go on, throw away your guitar and start to sing!

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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