River - Praise Him In The Streets

Sunday 1st August 1999
River - Praise Him In The Streets

STYLE: MOR / Soft Pop
RATING 6 6 6 6 6 6
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 482-1149
LABEL: Independent
FORMAT: CD Album

Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

The leader of this intriguing group of eight sisters is Sue Rivers Mack who as Sue McClellan was a founder member of Parchment who enjoyed one of Britain's first ever pop-gospel hits with 'Light Up The Fire'. Now this chorale offers 13 tracks of original material, most of it acappella, with others using acoustic guitars and woodwind accompaniment. I was impressed by the tight harmonies and the standard of songwriting, which is a mix of praise and worship, testimony and exhortation. The best tracks are definitely the acappella ones, quite a lot of which could almost come under the category of plainsong. 'Sweet Baby Jesus' goes with a swing, with fingersnaps and words reminiscent of quite a few Caribbean carols - sadly it's only one minute 45 seconds long; 'Messiah' has a soaring chorus, using words from Isaiah 9; and 'The Blessing Of Revelation 4' is a multi-layered paean of praise worthy of Heaven itself. Sadly, the ones that have instrumental backing aren't quite as convincing - the arrangements are fairly ordinary, except for 'In The Beginning', which uses just bassoon and flute, both of which complement the voices very effectively. An enjoyable album that is well worth investigating. 

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.

Reader Comments

Posted by pf @ 22:39 on Jun 30 2005

I don't think they're sisters! It's good to see Cross Rhythms picking up on this group who seem to be little known outside Surrey - despite having an iconic place in Christian music.

So far as I can tell Praise Him in the Streets is Sue Rivers Mack's first album of songs since the demise of Parchment. Despite there being a 20 year gap since Rehearsal for a Reunion, in many ways this is the reunion album and reflects Sue Mack's distinctive combination of upbeat melody and harmony. I disagree with Trevor's comments about the instrumental backing. For a self-produced album the quality is amazing.



The opinions expressed in the Reader Comments are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms.

Add your comment

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.