Reviewed by Andrew Coe

For years the psalms have been used as an inspiration for worship to God, and were of course, originally intended to be sung to music not just read. What Australian band Sons Of Korah have done is reignite this ancient tradition with their unique mixture of acoustic instruments and electronic sounds. The album opens with "He Sits Enthroned" an upbeat, melodic song which begins with a gentle picked acoustic guitar and slowly builds on this with drums and beautifully sung backing vocals. "Still With You" is even more upbeat in style, with Matthew Jacobs haunting vocals crying out "If I go up to the heavens you are there/If I make my bed in the depths you are there". "Streams Of Water" takes the first five verses of Psalm 42, and has an electric moody style, while later on in the album "Hope In God" completes the psalm, but this time in a more upbeat manner to convey the psalm's changing mood. There are some effective uses of different styles of music from the orchestral "The Fool" to the Hebrew-styled "Overwhelmed", and everything is polished with a very professional finish. Using the words of the psalms pretty much as they are, rather than simply as an inspiration, is a bold move and really focuses the listener on the Scripture. 'Rain' is a beautiful album which will have you reaching for your Bible.

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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