Reviewed by Tony May

Early on in the P&W revolution Maranatha California brought in a brand of expertise we hadn't heard before. At a time when it was all folky guitars and weedy apologetic vocalists (how did those chaps manage to sing like that?) Maranatha introduced spiritual integrity allied to professionalism in their approach. Largely it was due to the musical ability of several musicians arriving via the Jesus Revolution and the wise guidance of pastor Chuck Smith who laid out vital Biblical principles. Such teaching as "God must be central" and "Watch the dangers of fame and fortune" and "We must be servants, not stars". Hmmm, there's a constant need to be reminded. Maranatha issued a total of 15 pioneering albums under the series title 'Praise' and also issued instrumental mixes of them under the title 'Praise Strings' (and later, to avoid muzak connotations, 'Praise Instrumental'). Now they are beginning to repackage some of the tracks.'Praise: Strings' has 18 tracks of evergreen worship tunes, played on, um, strings, believe it or not. But real strings mind you, in a cascade of sound that shimmers like sunlight on a waterfall (poetic, eh?). Very pleasing, relaxing, gentle, etc, etc. So if you're still missing Mantovani this will see you straight. Some cool piano sound too. Is that you Dino?

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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