Reviewed by Simon Eden

Every Christmas many traditional churches put on a Festival Of Nine Lessons And Carols service but only a few are likely to do it with guitars. Australian Mike Rayson has taken a number of well known Christmas carols such as "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" as well as other hymns such as "O For A Thousand Tongues" and set them to contemporary acoustic guitar. Although the arrangements are familiar, the guitar accompaniment definitely works to the extent that the traditional church organ isn't needed. Most of the tracks are interspersed with prayers and Bible readings with an international mix of accents including that of Tony Miles. Scriptures are familiar ones such as the Christmas story, Psalm 23 and Romans 8.28. This compilation successfully bridges a generational divide between those familiar with the 1662 Book Of Common Prayer and those modern churches used to guitar-based worship but is most likely to appeal to a mature but vibrant audience. If you wanted Latin liturgy, there is a setting of the "Kyrie Elison". The Rayson family Sunday school also make an appearance in the hymns "It Is Well" and "Come Children Join To Sing" as sung by a high pitched young Laura and Oliver Rayson. This is cross-generational family worship of considerable charm.

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.