Reviewed by Phil Thomson

EMI have the knack. Their '8 Great Hits' mini series cleverly pairs down a few albums' worth of music to reveal the pure fruit - in this case a tantalising taste of all that makes for quality gospel radio. The choice is subjective, of course, and by its nature a little bit retro; yet playlists have a habit of revealing the truth. No surprise then, for sheer joy, to find LaShun Pace with "Hey" or, for sheer power, "Never Seen The Righteous" with Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers blasting choral sound-waves at the preacher. Maybe eight songs is light by normal album standards, but then these are long, meaty tracks guaranteed to leave their mark; that's why they have been requested time and time again. In the words of the song "Goodtime" (Brent Jones & The TP Mobb) which wraps this up, the invitation is to "Kick off your shoes and catch your feet". I would add "and close your eyes and drift away". This is a useful reminder of US Christian radio at its best. When it comes to being transported, radio rules.

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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