Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Cross Rhythms world music specialist George Luke will no doubt emit a howl of protest for the lack of authenticity of this, the third in the popular series. And certainly to pass off a bunch of South African musicians, performing (largely) well known American worship songs as representative of the myriad of styles of worship currently happening in the continent's churches is pretty ghastly. And while we're about it, plastering the sleeve with game park pics of African wildlife is pretty tacky. But presumably the Integrity suits know their market and clearly there IS a market for classic choruses re-arranged for middle class consumers deeply moved by the Lion King movies. For it's the vague, big production Disney-Africa colourings to the arrangements which set this collection apart from the hundreds of other worship albums crowding the marketplace. The songs here are good: Michael W Smith's "Agnus Dei", Brian Doerksen's "Light The Fire Again", Paul Baloche's "Open The Eyes Of My Heart Lord" while the lead vocalists, whose names are buried in the small print (Willie Joubert, Shelley Grewar, Reana Nel, Oliver Toorn - much respect), offer rich and vibrant performances. So despite its cheesy ethos, this album will bless many who buy it.

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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