Reviewed by Tom Lennie

I'm not sure if this album was intended largely for local distribution, but the cover makes no mention of the name of the band performing the songs! Turns out to be a team connected to the Applegate Christian Fellowship, a large church in south Oregon. Lead vocalist is Seth Gilbert, worship pastor at Applegate, who previously fronted the four-piece indie-rock group Seven Places. The 12 songs on offer here are all directly based on various of the biblical Psalms. Musically, these are cleverly created pieces, packed with variety in tempo and style, and covering the broad range of emotions found in the originals, from hymns of praise to cries of despair. Seth's vocals (augmented by those of Carrie Miller) are highly distinctive, if at times a bit whiny-sounding, which some may find adds to the appeal, others may find irritating. Many of these tunes are delightfully catchy and the introductions to most tracks are particularly impressive. These come from Derrian Norvel, whose instrumentation works well throughout, though some will dislike the predominance of programming. Overall, a creative and worshipful project.

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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