Reviewed by Tony Cummings

I must confess that never having warmed to the whole Proms business, I've done my best to avoid the 'Prom Praise' albums of the past. It was Martin Smith's unexpected appearance at this year's Royal Albert Hall event which led me to swallow my reservations and I have to admit that on the whole 'Majesty' was an enjoyable musical experience. Noel Tredinnick and his trusty orchestra have got better as the years have gone on and although they'll never be top-of-the-tree symphonians their accompaniments to the rock voice of Martin Smith work every bit as well as they do with mezzo soprano Helen-Jane Howells. One of my favourite hymns "I Will Sing The Wondrous Story" is given a flamboyant reading while "10,000 Reasons" featuring Paul Baloche, Martin Smith, Graham Kendrick and Helen-Jane Howells is as heart-stirring as the original Redman recording. Probably my absolute favourite here though is "Remembrances" featuring the delightful violin of Rebecca Eves. I can't say I enjoyed "Bugler's Holiday" even though I'd admit that Raul D'Oliveira and friends play it impeccably while the accompanying DVD had a rather wince-inducing rendition of "When The Saints Go Marching In". But on the whole, the folk at All Souls have released an album which will appeal to a pretty broad based audience.

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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