Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

During the early rock'n'roll years Pat Boone was a major chart artist and rival to Elvis Presley in terms of sales if not creativity. He was even voted the World's Outstanding Singer in the UK in 1957. That was the year of the release of this collection of hymns crooned in a very un-rock'n'roll fashion! I always think of him as a bit of a Cliff-type figure even though he didn't manage to sustain a pop career beyond the arrival of The Beatles. Pat never made a secret of his faith so this set of hymns backed by a warbling chorus and an orchestra conducted by Billy Vaughn was a major release of the era. Of course there are plenty of old favourites captured here like "The Old Rugged Cross", "In The Garden" and "Softly And Tenderly". The 23 year old Boone recorded five albums in 1957 and this album was the second gospel collection following the release of 'A Closer Walk With Thee' a few months earlier. Its lush style and easy listening arrangements haven't aged well and are in stark contrast to Pat's rock'n'roll hits. But then, 'Hymns We Love' is completely reflective of where both the singer and the tastes of white, middle of the road church-goers were at the time.

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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