Reviewed by George Luke

Through their 'Gospel 4U' CD series, the Brum-based Divine Intavention crew have been doing a fine job in reminding us that Britain's best gospel talent isn't confined within the M25. With this collection they spread their net beyond the Midlands, to include Nottingham's KMA Reveal and Londoners Jahaziel and Four Kornerz. Complementing the Brits, we have Urban D with Corey Red & Precise from the USA, and Sharon Bryson representing Canada. Musically, it's predominantly hip-hop, with Spanna and Sanjae providing some ragga as a diversion. The remix of Four Kornerz's hit "Clap Clap" is a bit disappointing compared to the original version, and while the Religious Right would probably consider Urban D's "American Dream" unpatriotic, his warnings against the pitfalls of materialism and workaholism are spot-on and need to be heard a lot more. The award for Most Humorous Cultural Reference In A Rap Lyric goes to Fruits, for this line in their song "Crackers": "They say I'm crackers, but the only crackers I be is a descendant of Jacob" (Jacob's crackers - get it?). On the whole, I would have liked a little more variety than we were offered, as it did start to sound a bit samey after awhile. Nevertheless, it's a good way to acquaint yourself with more of the vast wealth of talent the UK's urban gospel scene has to offer.

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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