Reviewed by Peter Dilley

Taizé isn't so much a style of liturgical music, as a genre in its own right. With Kingsway reaching their sixth double CD of Taizé covers (these are UK recordings of Taizé compositions rather than the original recordings emanating from the French community) they have clearly plugged into a valuable marketing niche. As with previous volumes, the Taizé community's international character is reflected in incorporating Russian and German lyrics in "Alleluia Zagorsk", "Gospodi E (Lord Have Mercy)" and "Frieden Frieden (Peace I leave To You)", in addition to Latin and English as the basic starting point. For me, the most uplifting track was the resurrection song: "Be not afraid, sing out of joy! Christ is risen, Alleluia!" - a couple of lines repeating and rising gently to a crescendo. Straightforward, but effective - Taizé at its very best. "Cantate Domino Canticum Novum" (Sing a new song to the Lord, all you peoples) has a similar framework, but somehow it doesn't have quite the same simple accessibility. And whilst small group arrangements are generally well suited to the music, that was also one of the tracks which would be better with more voices than are mustered here, as its theme might suggest. Minor production niggles aside, 25 more chants make a useful addition to any Taizé library - for personal devotions, learning the material or listening/singing along together in worship.

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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