Reviewed by Tony May

Bubbly, bouncy praise concert, colourful and action packed. Filmed in Johannesburg, led by Lionel Petersen with a black African choir and a cluster of top USA musicians before a large, highly enthusiastic audience. Petersen's big voice and commanding presence steers the music along forcefully and the sheer entertainment value is high for the viewer sitting watching and imbibing his evening beverage. In his review of Friends First, the Cross Rhythms Top Cat TC commented on the doubtfulness of mixing Western CCM stylings with the African rhythms. As the more lush American music started to weave its way into the proceedings I shared those misgivings and did not welcome the intrusion. Also, superb as Acuna, Laboriel, Almario et al are, surely African musicians would have sounded even better and should have formed a major part of the band. It's not the same you know, the cutting edge was not there. Those quibbles apart, well worth seeing. 74 minutes well spent.

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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