Reviewed by Paul S Ganney

I really liked the last Kingdom CD I heard ('Redeemer') but that was more full-on rock, so I wondered what I might be getting with this one. Some bands do the "Acoustic Sessions" type of thing well and re-arrange for the medium (think of Eric Clapton and "Layla"), but others - well, they just sound like they'd rather be doing the electric versions. This CD falls into the "suitably different" category. It's not as laid-back as the term "acoustic" may lead you to believe: there's still a full drum and bass complement, for example (and they do sneak the electrics into the background on songs like "Flood Song"), but the arrangements are. It's more country rock in feel, or up-tempo praise and worship (to be fair, they do describe themselves as a worship team). I've left the tag for this review as "rock" although it's certainly softer than their previous outing. I was a bit negative about the vocals last time out, but this album shows them in a better light. What of the songs themselves? They're mostly ones followers of the band will know with "Victorious" building and building so that it sounds like an anthem which would go down a storm at Soul Survivor. And it's just one of many (check out the build on "There Is A King" for another great example) where the choruses are so, well, singable. "Redeemer" has a lovely string part that works just as well in this acoustic version as in the original rock setting. The ethos of the band is best summed up by this from band member Nate Parrish: "The world doesn't need more Christian bands or Christian products...it needs more Christ. It is our hope that through our music and through our lives Christ is glorified and people find their hope in him."

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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