Reviewed by Giles D Morrison

This album is a collection of orchestrations of hymns and choruses selected to complement the inspiration provided by the writings of Ken Gire. It is designed to lead the listener into “a time of personal worship and reflection”. A favourable comparison with Prom Praise can be made, though the orchestrations here are more adventurous, taking the tune of a hymn or chorus and developing upon it quite nicely. The CD booklet includes a meditation for each song written by Ken Gire. However, I found the orchestrations a little tepid and unassuming. I think this may partly be a result of the orchestra being recorded in London and the piano in America. They are not very sympathetic to each other and the whole album ends up a little less than the sum of the musical parts. However, this is a double album. The second CD contains readings from Moments With The Saviour, written by Ken Gire, backed by the orchestrations from the first CD. This changed my whole appreciation of the album, for in combination the music and readings gel together marvellously well. Although the American accent of the reader was a little distracting at first, the quality of the writing and the perceptions of Ken Gire exploring various “moments” of the gospel story are inescapable. Although only just 25 minutes long, this is a little gem and well worth exploring. I wouldn’t recommend this album on the strength of its classical music alone, but combined with the meditations and spoken word it has to be worthy of consideration.

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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