Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

The subtitle on the sleeve of this three disc set tells us that it contains "30 songs to ease your spirit." Your reviewer, after extensive research, can confirm that there are indeed 30 songs here and that, by and large, they do indeed ease the spirit. However I would go on to say that having a picture of a banjo on the front cover does not make the contents bluegrass. The banjo is indeed featured along with dobra, upright bass and fiddle (sounding more like a violin in many places - and bluegrass fans know the difference) but it is the vocals that give the game away. There are six lead vocalists credited with more supplying backing vocals and, frankly my dears, they sound too good. I am delighted to say that all the words are clearly audible but true bluegrass should sound much folksier with no one giving a cuss about any bum notes. My research has revealed that this product (and I use the word deliberately) is mainly the work of a Nashville singer, musician, arranger, producer and general whiz kid Steve Ivey. What he has delivered is a pleasant collection of worship favorites with a bluegrass flavor (note American spellings). Content ranges from Bach's "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring" (I kid you not but actually it works quite well) through plenty of "Public Domain" hymns to an interesting selection of contemporary worship songs such as "Undignified" (Matt Redman), "O Praise Him" (David Crowder) ands several written by Steve Ivey himself. I could imagine bluegrass aficionados getting seriously wound-up over the questionable packaging but if you enjoy easy-listening with a bluegrass tinge then check this one out.

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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