Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

If you like your hymns sung classical style by a good tenor this one will appeal to you. Others may struggle. Pendred's voice is appealing, especially in the lower registers, but the album scores on the quality of the songs and good production values. The opening track, Michael W Smith's "Agnus Dei", makes for a good start, and the Lord's Prayer is given an unusual musical setting in "Prayer", co-written by Pendred and Oliver Davis. Also it's good to see a few more original tracks from Pendred. Best track for me was "Without Love", a thoughtful but confident piece based on St Paul's reflections on love - "Love is patient, love is kind". "Be Still" by David Evans maintains its freshness, while Darlene Zschech's "Shout To The Lord" has an infectious enthusiasm about it. "How Great Thou Art", however, is covered too often and needs a rest or a major makeover! Some songs are in Italian, but the words are given in English as well in the sleevenotes.

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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