Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

Cross Rhythms Festival regulars may recognise the name of Stephen Anthony as the lead guitarist in Viola's backing band, and this latest release sees a collection of the sort of stuff that Viola and the Heart Ministries team use in leading worship. Of the 10 tracks, three are Stephen's own songs, the rest being from sources ranging from Vineyard to Delirious?, taking in Matt & Beth Redman and Kevin Prosch on the way. The D.boys would, I think, have no objections to the cover of "History Maker" "They That Wait On The Lord" rocks along nicely, and "Heart Of Worship" has Viola herself adding harmony vocals to create a suitably reverent atmosphere. Stephen's own songs don't suffer when compared to all this quality p&w fare; the title track has a slightly South Sea Island feel, thanks to some steel guitar effects; "Heal Our Hearts" is almost anthemic, with a good crunchy axe solo over some serious drumming, and "I'm Amazed" is acoustic worship over a synth soundscape. Well-produced by Heart Ministries' bassman Ralph Stover, this is a worthy product from a talented member of Tom Brock's team; the preponderance of cover versions is a slight quibble, but not enough to prevent me giving it a reasonable rating.

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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