Reviewed by Chris Webb

The people on this live CD did seem to be having a good time praising God. However, I was rather disappointed with it. Because of the title I suppose I expected Ladysmith Black Mambazo or some other Township feel. But 'One Voice, One Spirit' sounds like it could have been recorded in any large church in England, Australia or the USA. It was well produced with a proficient backing band and a large choir, most tracks featuring a solo voice, Comprising mainly up-tempo and lyrically simple non-challenging praise songs. The track "One Voice" was quite catchy and has remained in my head but the others, they're not easy to sing along with nor catchy enough to remember. It seemed unclear if this was performance praise or a recording of congregational worship. Not bad as background music, with slower tracks towards the end of the CD working better, particularly "You're Amazing" which had a rather pleasant soulful solo trumpet break. So the CD was average rather than exceptional and not very African!

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.