Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Subtitled '30 Of The Year's Top Gospel Artists And Songs', this two disc sampler showcases the wealth of talent contained within the American gospel scene on a package which is essentially a game of two halves. Disc one is the more groundbreaking, genuinely pushing the boundaries of gospel music with Mary Mary's "Save Me" and "No Way" by Tye Tribbett & GA delving into the worlds of R&B and funk respectively. Whilst there is a plethora of established names - Fred Hammond, Nicole C Mullen and CeCe Winans to name but a few - contributions from non-mainstream artists such as Myron Butler and Levi with the stunning song of praise "Set Me Free" and the gorgeous blues-tinged "God Didn't Give Up" by Deitrick Haddon make this compilation stand out. The second disc is largely made up of more traditional live material with quartet veterans the Mighty Clouds Of Joy stealing the show with the infectious "House Of The Lord" whilst the likes of the Kurt Carr Project pour the trademark gospel passion into every note of "God Great God". Overall, this is a pretty reasonable representation of today's gospel scene - at least from the major label's perspective.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.