Reviewed by Stella Redburn

For so many years leading worship (like chart success in the pop world) was a males stronghold but in recent years that has changed and this CD celebrates the appearance of the female worship leader, featuring an impressive array of strong soloists with agile voices and bags of charisma. There are some glaring omissions (I'm sure Kingsway would have liked to have put Darlene Zschech on this set). A sampler like this highlights the growing complexity of modern Christian songwriting and advances in studio production. It gives an excellent overview, too, of the direction in which the music scene is moving with its pervasive Celtic influence. The voices are, of course, what stand out -Sue Rinaldi, Libby Huirua (The Parachute Band), Lou Fellingham, Viola Grafstrom, Geraldine Latty and - the jewel in the crown- Joanne Hogg (lona) doing a heart-stopping cover of "The Lord's My Shepherd". The emotional commitment of these songs is high; soul-baring, intensely personal confession is the order of the day. Nowadays worship leaders are not afraid to expect congregations to manage complex multi-layered songs full of syncopations and unusual forms yet each one here is immensely singeable and join-in-able.

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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