Reviewed by Jonathan Harris

Unbroken Praise was recorded live with a large gathering of worshippers at Abbey Road Studios and the signatures on the album cover give an indication of the number of people involved in this recording. This is every bit what you would expect from a Matt Redman album and the production, arrangements and mix pulls no punches in delivering 11 great songs to serve the Church. The album carries a defiant message both lyrically and musically, as the album roars into action with the lyrics "...the greater the storm, the louder our song", belted out over a fizzing bass line with solid drumming taking the worshipper seamlessly into "It Is Well With My Soul". Matt skilfully and, where needed, sensitively balances the clear tension between the lyrical content and the musical arrangement in these songs. There's space for the congregation to cut through in the recording of "Abide With Me" and "No One Like Our God" before the tempo picks up again with "The Awesome God You Are". Over two decades and a dozen albums on and with a little help from the Killers and Coldplay (note the guitar hook in "No Longer I"), there is little doubt that the unassuming Brit has been one of the biggest influences on the world Church's modern worship movement. One thing is clear from this powerful album, Matt retains his ability to craft songs which reveal a steadfast, humble heart of worship. This is exemplified as the album comes in to land with the beautiful "Majesty Of The Most High", a song which expresses that "everything you are, is everything I need." The songwriting on this album is superb, the arrangements are superb, the musicianship and presentation of the songs is superb. All in all, a superb album.

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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