Reviewed by Jonathan Priday

If you avoid praise albums 'cos you're fed up with usual sickly sweet arrangements so beloved of our trans-Atlantic cousins then Songs for Bluefields is probably right up your street. Very much the offspring of Stuart David and Richard Causon (ex-Treasure Park and currently part of Ben Okafor's band) Songs for Bluefields goes a long way to opening up possible avenues for truly contemporary worship. Using a mixture of raw rock - the album opens with power chords and a huge drum sound ~ dance orientated tracks and, not surprisingly, a sprinkling of slower worshipful songs David and Causon set out to prove that you still play inventively in worship. The guitar work in particular will set new standards for worship bands up and down the country. The songs come from the Praise Community Churches and many of them deserve to become popular with a wider audience ~ You Did It For Me", "I Will Set My Mind On You", "Like You, My Lord". For the curious among you the Blue-fields of the title is a town on Nicaragua's east coast that PCC have been supporting and £1 from the purchase price will go to help with further projects. So kill two birds with one stone!

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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