Reviewed by Tony Cummings

There were some question marks when I approached this set. Could the standard which had made Vol 1 such an outstanding showcase for young (and largely unsigned) British urban gospel talent be maintained? After all, that album was breathtakingly good and the only disappointment is that turntable hit artists like DM Squared And Bukola and Ayo-Dele Ajano haven't followed through with full length debuts. But I needn't have worried. Those clever guys at Rockhill Music clearly have extraordinary A&R savvy as well as snappy production skills so that unknowns like Aram Goedhart and Audrea Hyle stand up magnificently next to the "names" like Four Kornerz and Get Real. My favourites at the moment are "First Love" by Bianca Rose where the sister's huskily soulful voice purrs over a guitar and finger snaps accompaniment to sublime effect and "Preacherman" by Ayodele Edwards which has an old school funk vibe which will work both in clubland and radio. But then coming up fast on the rails are Four Kornerz featuring Mercy. A couple of tracks seem slightly out of place here, Paula Wallen's "Tis So Sweet" is too trad gospel to sit comfortably with all the urban invention, Aram Goedhart And Voices From DRC, despite packaged with unfathomable electronic effects in out-of-tune gospel from Zaire, while the bonus track (a meaningless phrase on an album like this) by Hillsong London sticks out like a sore thumb. But with 17 tracks (plus an intro) to choose from that hardly matters. And with part of the earnings of this album going to Christian Aid, Cross Rhythms can only urge its readers to support the second in what is clearly a groundbreaking series of albums.

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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