Reviewed by Paul Knab

The long running series of live worship albums emanating from the annual Keswick events feature a mix of traditional and modern hymns with some more recent contemporary songs thrown in. However, 'Unshackled' is hardly how I feel listening to the renditions of more recent compositions, such as Brenton Brown's "Everlasting God" and Tim Hughes' "Almighty God". The delivery of these songs by the worship leaders concerned left me feeling chained up. The saving grace of this album is Stuart Townend and the band whose unmistakable sound bring resounding memories of the great Stoneleigh live worship albums. Stuart is accompanied by Lou Fellingham, with her spine tingling lead of "There Is A Day", which for me is the high point of the album. Other stirring songs include the Townend classics "In Christ Alone" and "See The Morning". Also, there is some beautiful piano playing, particularly on "The Fathers Song". But on the whole, 'Unshackled' is a pretty tepid affair.

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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