Reviewed by Allan Clare

Just in time for the Christmas market. The cover says 'Featuring Original Artists' but you'll have to guess when they appear as the credits give no indication of who sings or plays on each track so the claim is actually a little disingenuous. Although I DEFINITELY heard Stuart Townend, and I THINK I heard Lou Fellingham (but without any credits, who can tell?). What I can say is that there is no congregation singing along in the background. Three CDs of 50 songs should surely be value for money, and a quick scan of the songs offered reveals only a few old chestnuts. As it turns out, the first song is one of the oldies - Nathan Fellingham's "Holy Holy" from 1995 - but it's given such a contemporary reading - Brit-pop guitars and piano driven rhythm - that my heart was drawn to worship immediately. A great start. The selection is well worth the investment to have a good listen to what is currently affecting the UK church. Out of the 50 tracks only nine are from the 1990s, and the majority are from 2004 onwards. Recent songs from Stuart Townend, Keith Getty and Eoghan Heaslip appear, although one or two of the tracks seem a little out of place through over-appearance on a plethora of other worship releases (Matt Redman's "When The Music Fades" for instance). So why don't I think it's a must buy when the production is excellent, the tracks sound relatively contemporary (in the sense of 'contemporary pop') and there are 50 more or less recent songs? It all boils down to atmosphere. It's all just a little bit anaemic. The sense of a congregation praising God is totally missing and after an hour, and just before the end of the first CD, I realised I wasn't actually THAT bothered about listening to the other two CDs. You may disagree. Have a listen before you buy.

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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