Reviewed by Doug Holland

When Dr Ron Kenoly began his recording career in 1991 he almost instantly hit big sales as one of the first African American artists to recognise the potential of blending traditional gospel with praise and worship. But now things have moved on, there are hundreds of artists doing the gospel worship thing and the good doctor has left the label (Integrity Music) which brought him those mega sales. So can Ron and his High Praise aggregation still deliver? I'd say most definitely. This collection of 11 songs (all self-penned except Founds' "Lord I Lift Your Name On High", and lasting 46 minutes) is typical Kenoly fare, bringing together as it does catchy melodies with straightforward but worshipful lyrics that convey jubilant thanks and praise and truths about God and his nature, with all this delivered positively by his large, powerful voice. There is a delightful big plan to the CD, with the mood gently moving and developing from the initial up tempo objective praise to a more gentle intimacy that allows the listener to pause and reflect (epitomised in "I Need You"), before the mood is picked up again with "Magnify The Lord" to finish. All in all this is an excellent example of the genre and Kenoly is on top form.

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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