Reviewed by John Daniels

One of the joys of reviewing is receiving a CD I would never have picked myself, and finding it a gem. To paraphrase the sleevenotes, "In our busy lives it's good to have a way to be still and contemplate all that God is, and music helps." Just short of an hour long, this album has a tranquillity about it, while at the same time somehow expressing the awesomeness of God. The 12 tracks are a mix of the work of the Taize community and the group's founder Margaret Rizza. The music has a power often in inverse relationship to the brevity of the lyrics. It's amazing how one line of Latin verse, as in the excellent opening track "Sanctum Women", can be so powerful, and the lyrically very brief "Da Pacem Domine" has almost a film-like quality about it. Those who like me struggled with Latin at school never fear, translations are given and five of the tracks are in English anyway. The album was recorded not at St Thomas' Church, Sevenoaks, where the group is based, but at the nearby parish church of St Mary's Platt. If the change of venue was to achieve better acoustics, then it was well worth it. There's a beautiful atmospheric to this recording which only enhances the performances. I'd love to hear the group live.

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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