Charlotte Church - Prelude: The Best Of Charlotte Church

Tuesday 8th July 2003
Charlotte Church - Prelude: The Best Of Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church - Prelude: The Best Of Charlotte Church

STYLE: Classical
RATING 3 3 3
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 7984-7735
LABEL: Columbia SK86990
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1
RRP: £14.99

Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Integrity Music's mission statement says that they want "To help people worldwide experience the manifest presence of God and develop a worship lifestyle." My question then is, "Why are they releasing Charlotte Church's music into the Christian market, selling it in Christian bookshops to Christians when the album contravenes its own mission?" Okay, so she's sold nine million albums (maybe that's a clue why Integrity licensed it) and there are three Christian songs on this mix of pop and opera including "Pie Jesu", a rather perfunctory "Amazing Grace" and "Ave Maria". But the rest of these classic opera set pieces, extracts from Lloyd Weber and even Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", pleasant though they are, belong in HMV not CLC. And if it's lifestyle we're talking about, here's a window into our Charlotte's. When asked in a recent Q interview about the last time she got drunk, she replied, "My family had a big barbecue and I got drunk there. The party was okay, but alcohol makes everything seem so much better." Or how about this insight into her lifestyle? "I love astrology - mediums, psychics, things like that. I love going to psychics." When asked to recommend a good church, she recommended one in Cardiff and added, "I used to go there every Sunday, the priests are wicked. They have an entertainment evening every year which is always a great big piss-up." Musically this album isn't really Christian and certainly when it comes to her lifestyle, Charlotte is not displaying any enthusiasm for God. Since going to church doesn't make you a Christian, I guess being called Church doesn't help either. "Music to believe in?" I don't think so! So come on Integrity, make a stand and pull this album off the shelves and live up to the company name and mission statement or are those pound signs dancing in your eyes?

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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