Reviewed by Robin Thompson

I love hymns. They are full of substance and theology and we forget them at our peril. However, I love the passion and accessibility of contemporary compositions too. When the two come together - old hymns in a contemporary style - you can get a wonderful infusion of old and new and a truly tremendous worship experience. These hymns however are played primarily on the organ and sung by choirs - very traditional and very straight. Now, there is a market for this, especially if you want to marvel at the technique and appreciate them musically. But there should be so much more to these songs. I couldn't help comparing the version of "Love Divine " on here with the version on 'Keswick Praise 18' and there is truly no contest - the latter wins hands down. The renditions here by the Scottish Festival Choir, the Chester Cathedral Choir and the Choir And The Congregation of St Margarets, Prestwich are, on the whole, lacklustre and though there are plenty of classic hymns here ("When I Survey", "Holy Holy Holy", "Joy To The World", "Love Divine All Loves Excelling") the versions here are pretty lifeless and simply don't do justice to the material.

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