Reviewed by Matt McChlery

The Kewsick convention is now in its 140th year and this is a recording of the "best bits" that happened during the singing and worship in the summer of 2015. The album consists of 13 tracks with three main worship leaders: Steve James, Lewis Green and Stuart Townend. As usual, it takes on a more sedate pace than the worship for more youth orientated projects and here offers a Celtic and folky feel throughout not dissimilar to recordings by Keith & Kristyn Getty. "The Whole Of Life For Christ' blends together traditional standards such as "Crown Him With Many Crowns" and "Take My Life And Let It Be" that sound as if they have been recorded at a BBC Songs Of Praise event, alongside more contemporary worship songs written by Matt Redman, Stuart Townend, Jeremy Riddle and Phil Wickham. The choices have been made sensitively so that all songs sit well alongside each other in style and content. "This Is Amazing Grace" is one of the more modern songs. I admit that this arrangement took a while to grow on me as it has a much more folky sound than its original version, but it works well here. The mesmerising rhythms produced by the drums and percussion on "Here Is Love" that lead to a gradual yet majestic crescendo certainly breathes new life into this beloved hymn. The standout track for me is "All For You" written by Scottish songwriter David Lyon and sung by his wife Yvonne Lyon. This song is simply a delight. It is solid with rich theology and manages to stay true to itself, avoiding the need for layered synthesisers and U2-like electric guitar effects. It is a well written and simply a beautiful song.

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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