Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Think of great lyricists, who comes to mind? Graham Kendrick, Martyn Joseph, maybe Cross Rhythms' very own Phil Thomson? But, with the greatest respect, all of these fade into insignificance compared with two giants of the prophetic worship lyric. Yep, warrior king David and muso Asaph are the unsurpassed heavyweights of the genre. So when this assemblage of Texas players were brought together by singer/composer David Albracht to record new versions of some of David's and Asaph's Holy Spirit-inspired words, they were already off to a good start though, you may observe, it takes more than scanned Scripture to make a great CD. As it turns out, this is a great CD because everything blends so beautifully, David's rich, expressive tenor voice; rhythms that mix musical influences ancient (the Messianic-tinged "Psalm 108") and modern (the fluid Texas blues of "Psalm 123") but always with a deftness of touch and sensitivity of arrangement. Throughout, there are musical moments to delight, for instance the gliding cello of Pierce Meisenbach on "Psalm 1" or Jeannie Perkins' vocal interjections on "Psalm 126". The production (and guitar work) by John Piper too is exemplary. By the close I was not only convinced I had heard one of the most outstanding albums ever made without the help of a record company, but also an album with the genuine potential of leading us to the God of David and Asaph, you and I.

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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