Reviewed by Tom Lennie

Mark Miller, Billy Somerville, Seth Peterson...something very fresh is happening in worship in the US, as young Christian musicians break away from traditional structures, and unleash their creative answers in more natural expression to the living God. Here we have an independent release from Sheri Keller, worship leader at Valparaiso Vineyard Fellowship, Indianna; an album which, thankfully, doesn't carry the standard Vineyard sound. After the briefest of preludes, Sheri launches into a superb guitar-driven chunk of rock praise, as she sings her "New Song" to the Lord. She gets my full attention right away! In the same style follows the only song on the album not self-written, the most striking and melodic version of "I Want To See Jesus Lifted High" I have heard. From then on the music becomes more acoustic as Ms Keller weaves her way through var­ious musical styles, while spiritually keeping her eyes ever on the Lord. Each song is beautifully crafted and sung with a genuine passion. Here is a woman wonderfully in love with her Lord and you feel honoured to listen in (and join in) as she intimately bares her soul before him, employing all her creative giftedness, and every ounce of energy within her, to express her worship to the King. Her voice is at times gentle, at times powerful, as it soars with her spirit in seeking to touch the very throne of God. But at all times (13 songs and a whole 68 minutes) the sound is captivating. Acoustic guitar and a variety of percussion instruments are, on most tracks, the only musical support. But who needs heavy orchestration when you've got a voice like Sheri's! A gorgeous album, which I'm drawn back to again and again. Anyone who says that worship music is boring simply hasn't heard of gems like this!

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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