Reviewed by Tom Lennie

Ms Martin is well known as having been worship leader at Abundant Life Church in Bradford for around a decade, until she moved away in 2008 to work with disadvantaged street children in Romania. Her songs - most of them sung by herself - have featured on a number of prominent recordings released by ALC, and her worship performances were also often aired on God TV. Some of her material is also to be found on worship compilations, such as Virgin's 'The Best Worship Songs Ever!' and a number of CCM artists have performed Martin covers on their own ventures. Most of her output is featured on this double-disc - picked, as they are, from those previous ALC recordings, with full (excellent, though on this project unaccredited) choral backing and orchestral arrangements. Some, certainly, fare better than others; a favourite of mine being Lara's experimentation with a dose of funky soul on "He's Real". More popular songs like "Divine Exchange" and "I Will Bless The Lord At All Times" also feature of course, but I've got to say, many of these songs continue to pass me by largely untouched. They lack the immediacy and memorability that make them truly stand out material. As for existing fans, you'll probably own most of these tracks already.

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Sonic Flood, Michelle Tumes, Christine Dente and Susan Ashton; the list of artists who have recorded their own versions of Lara Martin’s songs goes on and on. Formerly worship leader at Bradford’s Abundant Life Church, Lara’s songs have impacted Christians the world over, bringing hope and inspiration to many.

Now The Best of Lara Martin has been released, a 28 track double CD containing her best known songs – Divine Exchange, God Is Here and Joined By Angels that celebrates a remarkable journey, one that keeps on getting better.