Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Recorded in the 12th century village church at Taize, the brothers of The Taize Community are joined by a choir of 40 young people from 10 countries to perform a selection of recent Taize songs. Together they reflect the prayer of the community and the many young people who visit or who take part in the Pilgrimage Of Trust in Europe and on other continents. There have been dozens of Taize albums so you won't be surprised that in addition to an "Alleluia De Kiev" there is also an "Alleluia 22" and a "Kyrie 21". I listened to the entire hour of this CD in one sitting. It was no hardship as the choir sings well and there are plenty of subtle touches in the accompaniments to add to the enjoyment. Several times I was interested enough to check the translation of the lyrics and I hummed along quite contentedly to the catchier melodies. However, when I played it through a second time, I used the Shuffle facility on my machine. I enjoyed the encore but found I could not remember anything from the previous listen the day before. My short review is thus "Nice but forgettable". I am sure that those who share the Taize ethos or who enjoy inoffensive background music as an aid to prayer or meditation will value this CD more than I which is, perhaps, a reflection on my tastes and not the Taize Community.

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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