Reviewed by Heather Richardson

This large tome is, of course, the companion to the 500 Series of 10 triple box set album which offered recordings of the Top 500 worship songs used in UK churches as identified by the CCLi copyright licensing scheme. The book is set out in mainly alphabetical order by first line. The melody line with chords printed above is ideal for singers, C instruments, guitar and keyboard players. Capo chords are not provided. There are some suggested intros, which reflect how the songs are performed on the CDs. The songs are written in the keys that they are performed in on the CD and the melody line reflects the way the song is sung rather than how it might have first been written. The aim of the book is to provide guidance in playing the songs but to allow for creativity and versatility within the music group. There is an interesting index at the end of the book that lists the songwriter's name after the first line/title followed by the track and CD on which it appears. It was good to find newer current songs amongst the golden oldies as opposed to having to go from one volume to another when using songs that span several decades of songwriting. The hardback binding of the book doesn't allow it to easily stay open on a music stand; however this is another great resource for worshipping churches and ideal for any new musician to the Christian worship scene.

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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