Reviewed by Colin Hopkins

I must admit I like the concept of the 'Ultimate' series and indeed I'm all for good compilation albums. I was however disappointed with the line-up featured on 'Ultimate Rock 1' and was therefore greatly relieved to see a completely different and indeed a much more impressive line-up chosen for this the second volume. Barrier-breaking bands such as the Altar Boys, the Holidays, The Choir and the Newsboys are all featured here and work extremely well alongside the more established names of White Heart, Degarmo & Key and Petra (How come Petra feature on virtually all of these Ultimate recordings?! It's getting to the stage now where I'm half expecting Bob Harman to appear telling a few jokes on the forthcoming 'Ultimate Comedy' release!). Only one new name is featured on this recording, that of the Lively Stones whose devastating song "Get Down On My Knees" proves to be one of the highlights of the entire set. Only draw back about these sort of compilations is that if, like me, you're already into the old Christian rock in a big way then chances are you'll already have most of the material featured here. Still, makes a great montage of tunes for listening to in the car (at full blast!) and if you're new to "music for saints that rock" then this is a first class introduction to the genre.

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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