Reviewed by Tony May

The usual Marilla Ness finesse present in all departments. Do I detect an even richer, more confident maturity to this sparkling voice? Must be all the rave reviews I keep writing, putting an extra spring into her step. As usual the fare majors on well-known worship material here, for example, "Be Still", "Majesty", "I Am The Bread Of Life" etc, all given the Marilla Ness kiss of life. Noel Stookey's lovely wedding song "There Is Love" is given an exemplary reading here. Makes me wonder if it would be wise now to seek out a higher percentage of such material and maybe some really stretching vocal challenges. I think so. But a lovely, sweet worshipful set.

Also reviewed in CR28:
Yep, as Cross Rhythms reviewer and number one Marilla Ness fan Tony May will tell you, Marilla possesses one of the sweetest and purest voices in Christendom. Also her work within the renewal in the Roman Catholic church is powerfully anointed. So why aren't I giving this, Manila's fifth album, eight or nine squares? Because there are simply too many predictable cover versions. "Be Still", "Jesus We Enthrone You", "Majesty" et al have simply been recorded too many times for Marilla to add anything new to them. When the dear lady does go to Catholic sources, here too her choice of repertoire (Sebastian Temple's "Make Me A Channel") is too predictable. With 10 ORIGINAL worship songs and a more imaginative production team Marilla could make a classic album. But this isn't it.
6
Tony Cummings

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.