Reviewed by Tom Lennie

OK, so the sub-title of this 3 CD box set is a bit of a misnomer. There are 50 worship songs here, and some might choose to classify many of them as "gold". But to call them "classic" does require something of a designational leap! For many of these are not well known P&W songs, sung in churches across the land. Indeed it's quite likely that when you read through the song list there will be numerous titles you won't recognise at all. And there's a good chance you'll be unfamiliar with some of the songwriters/singers too (while we're told who the former are, we're not told who make up the latter - sometimes it's obvious, other times it isn't). But once you get beyond these standard quibbles relating to Kingsway's questionable packaging, you'll get to some excellent worship music. Many of the songs/recordings are pretty new - 2006 or 2007, and virtually none is older than six years. Granted, many names you associate with recent worship "classics" do not appear - Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Tim Hughes, Matt Redman (though he did compose one tune). Instead, these musicians all come from within the Kingsway fold (hence most are UK-based) - not that that's to be bemoaned. For songwriters/musicians as notable and diverse as Paul Oakley, Stuart Townend (with and without Keith Getty), Lou Fellingham, Gareth Robinson, Geraldine Latty and Godfrey Birtill all make repeated appearance, with some well known and some other less popular compositions. Lesser known names such as Jon Elliot, Aaron Keyes, Gabe Watkins and Busbee also crop up. Interestingly, while there certainly are some very upbeat sounds (not least Keyes' "You Never Cease To Amaze Me"), most songs are in the mid-paced worship or adorational format. So, overall there are many songs here well worth getting acquainted with.

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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