Reviewed by George Luke

In 22 years, Marcos Witt - Latin America's best-known worship leader - has recorded nearly 30 albums. So he should score points for being prolific, if nothing else. 'Dios de Pactos' (Covenant God) was recorded live in Miami and is one of three albums Marcos released in 2003 - the same year he made his first attempt at recording in English. The only English on this, though, is the odd "Come on, everybody" and "Put your hands together" shouted by guest rapper Ray Alonso, who appears on two tracks. As worship albums go, this is musically rather diverse, with brief sermonettes interspersed between the songs. Marcos' classical influences come through on the "Obertura Piano Y Orquesta" (Overture For Piano And Orchestra); from there, we're treated mostly to MOR pop, though he does venture into rock territory on "Celebrare, Me Alegrare" (I Will Celebrate, I Will Be Glad). The real joy for me, though, is the celebratory salsa workout, "Al Rey" (To The King), which closes the set; so good, they did it twice. It's enough to make me forgive him for the cheesy moment at the beginning of the album, when he duets with his young son Jonathan.

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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