Reviewed by Tom Lennie

Gotee have a habit of putting together compilations of various types - 'Gotee Acoustic', 'Gotee '80s', 'Gotee Ladies'... Here we have 'Gotee Hits', a collection of top radio hits and fan favourites from some of the adventurous label's American artists. A couple of tracks are as recent as 2006, numerous more are 2005, while one or two date back to 2002/3. The first three or four songs are upbeat pop/rock dittos, from the likes of Relient K, Family Force 5 and Ayiesha Woods (check her rave debut album review on this site). The following few have a rap and/or hip-hop essence (DJ Maj, Grits, John Reuben), while, in distinction, a couple more tracks fit more in the praise and worship category - eg, Sarah Kelly's lovely "Matter Of Time" and Jeff Deyo's rousing "Let It Flow" from his debut solo 'Surrender'. Most tracks fall definitely in the rock genre and include fine numbers from Storyside:B and Fighting Instinct. Three songs are previously unreleased versions, including the Radio Mix of Paul Wright's acoustic/rock "You're Beautiful". The closing "Crazy" by Liquid runs on a throbbing funk groove and well represents the eclectic range of sounds that have made Gotee famous. All in all, this is a stirring collection and an excellent showcase of a groundbreaking label.

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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