Reviewed by Tony May

A programme of mainly contemporary songs blended with more familiar fare including Beethoven's "Joyful, Joyful", "Come Thou Fount", "How Great Thou Art" and Fanny Crosby's old gem "I Am Thine O Lord". Seeing Tim Sheppard amongst the writers makes me wonder what happened to that fine artist. (He records for Diadem - unreleased here. Ed) This choir majors on a brisk, semi-classical sound, diction is good, shading of the music is subtle and the lightness of touch is exemplary. They have managed to escape the trap of sounding a bit "snooty" which this type of choir easily slips into. It would have been nice to hear them attempt something more challenging, there's a feeling of "coasting" here and there, and a few of the songs are nothing special. The listening experience is pleasant and enjoyable without displaying the range of dynamics and power latent in top of the range choral music. The American equivalents are much better, but it has its moments.

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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