Reviewed by Brian Edgeley

This offering is everything it claims to be on the case; 60 songs of praise and worship by original artists! This is the second volume of three CDs in a series of four volumes - that will make 240 tracks in all! However, I am not sure who the collection is aimed at or what market there is for it because the tracks span the past two decades and the CD’s broad spectrum of music shows up two immediate flaws – the recording style and the recording quality! Both of these technologies have changed dramatically in the last 20 years and the CDs shows up that difference horrendously. The first track on the first CD is Morris Chapman’s “Be Bold, Be Strong” - recorded in the early ‘80s it is in itself a wonderful chorus, one to encourage and stimulate each Christian, but the recording is horrible and I wouldn’t want any Christian radio station playing it today as the quality is embarrassingly poor (and it’s the first track you listen to)! Out of the 60 songs there are a few hymns from previous centuries too, these are recorded in another manner and give this collection an additional variation on how Christian music has changed over the years. The Kingsway website says that this “resource” is filled with a “selection of rich and varied worship from writers past and present.” And that it is! To be positive the majority of songs on this album are of a contemporary genre and are well recorded, some from the many Christian camps that have popped up over the last decade, and others from studio recordings. Graham Kendrick, Stuart Townend, Noel Richards, Dave Bilbrough, Matt Redman, Paul Oakley, they are all here.

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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