Reviewed by Norman Smith

Who'd be a hymn writer!? The field is not as broad as the popular music scene today, there are defined parameters of construction, form and expectation in a hymn, and the writer has to follow in the legendary footsteps of hero hymn writ­ers Charles Wesley, John Newton, Frances Ridley Havergal and Augustus MontagueToplady! Between them, they wrote hundreds of compositions, and only a respective handful make it into modern songbooks. It goes without say­ing you need to be brave to attempt a hymn. One thing that's certain with this collection is that there is nothing remotely in the category of "And Can It Be" or "How Sweet The Name Of Jesus" here - rather we have a pleasant group of mid-inspirational hymns bringing a mild satisfaction. The one exception to the church-organ-laden-norm is the outstanding "Creation Is Waiting", a beautifully crafted melody by Chris Bowater/lan Taylor employing more of an acoustic, music group arrangement. Credit due, then, to these brave hymn warriors who dare... Give me blissful cowardice any day.

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