Reviewed by Tom Lennie

In the same format as last year, this year's Spring Harvest 'New Songs' output is a double venture, with songs on side one getting a "full" production, while side two features "acoustic reflective arrangements". As we're all aware, the songs aren't necessarily "new" at all; but at least half of these ones are, and the rest are no more than one or two years old. And there are some great ones among them, eg, from the pens of the ever prolific Graham Kendrick, Tim Hughes and Paul Baloche, as well as the more up-and-coming Matt Hooper (Abundant Life) and Leeds-based Danny Cope (two excellent new tunes from him). What's also new this year are some of the vocalists chosen; Plymouth-based worship leader Leigh Barnard, onehundredhours' frontman Tre Sheppard and one time lead singer of Steve, Neil Wilson, as well as seasoned session-singer Cathy Burton. Thus we get the delight of hearing Barnard and Sheppard perform their own songs - the title track and the acoustic "You Are The One" respectively. Other standouts for me are Martyn Layzell's moving "I Stand In Awe" and Marty Sampson's simple proclamation "God He Reigns". Overcoming the conveyor belt associations often overshadowing session singer albums like this one, 'Our God Reigns' is a fine production and an excellent sampler of some of the best recent worship songs.

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