Reviewed by Tony Cummings

If you’re not familiar with the smash ups craze, as spawned by the internet, it involves taking two (or even three) songs recorded by different artists and editing them together to make something new, fresh and sometimes surreal. Most smash ups only exist on illegal downloads but clever ol’ EMI Christian Music Group have brought in some top engineers/producers, given them access to their vast catalogue and here is the result. Sometimes the results are weird – Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Live Out Loud” simply doesn’t go with Out Of Eden’s “River” – sometimes the results are surprisingly radio friendly (catch the amalgamation of The Benjamin Gate’s “All Over Me” and John Reuben’s “Do Not” currently playing on Cross Rhythms radio). To get the full effect, you’ve got to know the originals, but for those with left-of-centre and, dare I say it, somewhat disjointed tastes, ‘Smash Ups’ is a lot of fun.

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