Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

The sleevenotes on this Kingsway compilation invite you to “join Stuart Townend, Keith Getty, Matt Redman, Kate Simmonds and Mal Pope as they bring you hymns old and new.” No, not some Travelling Wilburys-style super group, but individual tracks taken from their respective albums. The old hymns take up only a third of the proceedings (“What A Friend We Have In Jesus”, “O For A Closer Walk With God” and “All The Way My Saviour Leads Me”) but what really stands out is how well the newer songs sit with them. Townend’s exemplary skills as hymn writer stand out with the dobro-lead “How Deep The Father’s Love” and the simple beauty of “O My Soul Arise And Bless Your Maker.” For me, Kate Simmonds’ contributions are the crowning glory here - the breathtakingly tender rendition of Richard Creighton and Keith Getty’s “My Hope” and the soulful “Home In Your Arms” are reasons enough to buy this album. Despite the quality of material on show, the inlay gives no clue as to who is featured on which track and there are no background notes to enlighten the unfamiliar listener. In addition, the bland cover will do nothing to promote its contents on the shelves. It’s a shame that Kingsway didn’t see fit to package this worthy collection more attractively.

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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