Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

It's been over three decades since Roger Jones wrote his first musical 'Jerusalem Joy', and 'Jailbreak', the story of Paul and Silas in Philippi (see Acts 16) is by my reckoning the 17th opus from his pen. As usual, the purpose of the CD is as a learning tool; taken on its own, as a listening experience, it's adequate without being outstanding. However, the real value of 'Jailbreak' is as a staged musical with music and drama combining to challenge and inspire both the audience and those taking part: I attended the world premiere in the Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham in October 2005, and it was stunning. Some have sought over the years to make snide remarks about Roger's style, but he has always written music that is easy to learn and sing, and that appeals to a wide cross-section of denominations and traditions. So I believe he is doing a real service to the Church at large by continuing to give people Biblically based material that they can use both as outreach tools and as a way of getting Christians on the fringe of church involved in something that will bless them and build them up in the faith.

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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