Reviewed by Doug Holland

Farrell has been at the forefront of the renewal of Catholic worship (both in the UK and abroad) since the 1970s. In this 2003 set the Yorkshire-born former member of the renowned St Thomas Moore Group in London brings a 13-track, 50-minute offering of new songs that include Psalm settings, songs for use in the liturgy throughout the year and (an area she is beginning to move into) for children. The stated aim of the collection is to express a commitment to social justice and to challenge us all to pray, think and act to bring peace to our broken world. On this CD the songs are arranged for organ, piano, guitar, flute, strings and brass and performed by unnamed adult and children's choirs. Three of the tracks use words from the New Zealand poet Shirley Erana Murray. The pace across the album is steady and avoids significant peaks, and the musicianship throughout is exquisite. Highlights from the song list include the delightful and gentle "Peace Child" and the innovative "The Face Of Christ", a wonderful duet between the spoken and sung word which features the spoken voice of Farrell herself. Wonderful stuff.

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