Reviewed by Tony Cummings

As any Christian music historian will tell you, the Calvary Chapel stream of churches have been pivotal in the development of both CCM and modern worship. However, in recent years, since the time they sold the Maranatha! Music label, their profile has been far less evident and so this release, featuring a bevy of worship leaders from Calvary Chapels across the USA, is most welcome, particularly as it demonstrates that there are still plenty of skilled vocalists and instrumentalists within the church axis. The concept of 'Monuments' is hardly revolutionary, contemporary re-imaginings of a batch of old hymns with one or two new hymns thrown in for good measure. Particularly strong is Scott Cunningham's version of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God", Chaz Celaya's reading of Fanny Crosby's "All Will Be Well" and Andrew Polfer's interpretation of Robert Robinson's "Come Thou Fount". It's a shame 'Monuments' didn't get national distribution Stateside as I'm sure there would be plenty of church-goers who would relate to these contemporisations of hymnal favourites.

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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