Reviewed by Phil Holbert

I must confess I approached these reviews with mixed feelings.  I am wary of yet more praise and worship “product” hitting the shelves and in my haste I was guilty of consigning these into that pigeonhole (mere product).  Until I gave them a fair hearing, that is.  These are no ‘Now That’s What I Call Praise And Worship’ cash-in jobs.  There is no doubt in my mind that this is quality stuff, good arrangements (with one minor criticism which I’ll get to shortly), great musicianship and overall, a pretty well thought out line up of songs.  Of the two CDs I preferred ‘Journeys: Worship’ for its more ambient/Celtic (there’s that buzz word again) feel whereas ‘Journeys: Prayer’ perhaps falls into the realm of easy listening.  This of course is just my opinion and I would encourage you to give them a listen before you make up your own mind.  My only criticism (especially on the ‘Prayer’ CD) would be for Billy Smiley to not use the flugel horn as much as he has done.  I found myself mentally wishing a sock to be inserted in said instrument after a number of tracks featured the aforementioned item as the lead instrument in sharp succession.  But this is only my opinion and I’m sure Billy would disagree with me as well as many others surely will these latest offerings from Brentwood.  I recommend you give them a try - top quality instrumentals, great to chill out to.

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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