Reviewed by Paul Kerslake

Now this is an unusual one. Project Lighten Up began in Handsworth, Birmingham in 2006. According to the CD, "A group of diverse but like minded individuals decided they would commit their time and energy into reaching their full potential, using their gifts, talents and resources to reach out to others and make the church a relevant place for people to come together - from any background, age group, race or gender." Marcus Masih of Asian pop rockers Mowglee heads up the project and ably produces it. So what does it sound like? Well the first couple of tracks are good, "Almighty Reigns" sounds like it's fresh from one of the summer conferences, and then "You Are The Rock" has a gospel tinge with nice Hammond work and some great vocals. Things are drawn back for "Jesus", this ballad getting some really nice tabla beats propelling the percussion section. You can hear the diversity of the contributors here, both from an instrumental and cultural point of view, although of course the results are all directed upwards in the same direction. There's a good cover of "Blessed Be Your Name" which lends itself to lots of percussion (having also witnessed it with the full Psalm Drummers ensemble at New Wine), although to me it sounds a bit too held back and controlled. The final two tracks "Heliluia Sada Gaenge" and "Sangat Kharri Hai Tere Duarr" are best of all, full-on bhangra worship and a joyful sound to the ears. Shame the whole album couldn't have been bhangra worship - that would have been truly innovative.

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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