Reviewed by Ewan Jones

I'm instantly wary of any package that is offering me my 'Ultimate Celtic Worship' experience, and that's even with leaving different theological understandings of worship at the door. So it was with trepidation that I approached this four CD set of 60 'Celtic' worship songs for me to work my way through. The songs have all been previously released, so bear that in mind if you already have a number of Celtic worship CDs. The quality ranges from excellent (the reliable Joanne Hogg features a number of times) to complete and utter nonsense. Does a song become part of a Celtic worship experience just because you've got a bloke on a bodhran and a penny-whistle solo thrown in? Maybe so, but at its cynical heart there is a lack of the earthy authenticity that I look for in inspirational Celtic worship. Compilations like this play on a mindless consumerist approach to music buying, but quantity is no replacement for quality and some of these tunes are frankly a chore to sit through. The selection of songs is certainly varied - hymns with classic Celtic style arrangements such as "Be Thou My Vision" and "When I Survey"' (sadly not the Iona version) are sat next to Celtic interpretations of Delirious?, Matt Redman and Tim Hughes songs, with varying degrees of success. Throw in a bit of Kendrick and some original compositions from Eden's Bridge and other artists and you end up with an eclectic but inconsistent mix. Buy it and burn your 15 favourite tracks onto a recordable CD, because sometimes, boys and girls, less is more.

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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