Reviewed by Mark Lawrence

With so many worship projects coming on to the market each month it becomes increasingly difficult to find a fresh and new angle by which to describe each one. The sub-title to this album proclaims this to be 'An Essential Collection!' however it is hard to fathom why these adequate cover versions, produced by Britain's Chris Norton, this one should be deemed "essential"! There's no denying that there are some classic songs here - Rich Mullins' "Awesome God", Michael Card's "El Shaddai", Michael W Smith's "Friends" and the MercyMe title song - all providing a good balance to the staple diet of congregational worship songs like Redman's "Let My Words Be Few" and Delirious?' "I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever". On the whole though there is a lack of creativity and originality in the arrangements and doesn't stand out in the saturated worship market.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.