The 500 Series - The 500 Series Vol 1

Tuesday 8th January 2002
The 500 Series - The 500 Series Vol 1
The 500 Series - The 500 Series Vol 1

STYLE: MOR / Soft Pop
RATING 4 4 4 4
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 4392-3366
LABEL: Kingsway KMCD2361
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 3
RRP: £16.99

Reviewed by Nigel Harris

The 500 series is an arrangement of 10 triple box sets containing specially recorded versions of the top 500 songs, as recorded on CCLI (the church copyright licence scheme) returns. What a wonderful concept, to put out a CD set of the 500 most-sung worship songs of the new millennium. So why not record them live at the very churches that are singing them and capture the spirit of worship? Or, since Kingsway released many of the original recordings, why not bring out a compilation of those first definitive versions? Instead they opted to give the project to a bunch of competent studio musicians and producer Chris Norton and told them to churn out new versions of worship standards such as "Shine Jesus Shine", "My Jesus My Saviour", "When The Music Fades" and "Jesus We Celebrate". Most recorded their contribution in their own studios, suggesting that the tracks were put together piecemeal in a sort of musical pass the parcel. That may explain the lifeless, sterile feel of the final product. The CD case describes this as "a uniquely useful set", which just about sums it up - useful, if you need to check out the odd tune, but certainly not inspiring or uplifting. A real disappointment.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.

NAVIGATION
CONNECT WITH CROSS RHYTHMS
SIGNUP

Connect with Cross Rhythms by signing up to our email mailing list

A Step Change...
Cross Rhythms Media Training Centre
MORE ARTICLES
DISCOGRAPHY
ARTIST PROFILES
Artists & DJs A-Z
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
Or keyword search

 

PRAYER ROOMS
Courts of Praise
Get close to God, be extravagant in declaring your love for Him in our Prayer Room