Reviewed by Phil Holbert

I have a loathing of "production line" worship albums and after I read the sleevenotes of this CD claiming that you can "Discover a whole new way of singing God's praises," I have to confess to seriously wanting to give it a good panning. In fact I have to admit that this is not only seriously good stuff but it does more or less "exactly what it says on the tin" - if you will pardon the borrowed metaphor. Here there is an honest attempt to play new and old worship songs in an "unplugged" style that really works well and is a valuable source for anyone looking for ideas for a fresh approach to leading worship in their own church. I am staggered that they actually were able to re-arrange "Be Bold, Be Strong" into a 100% cheese-free acoustic rock out. Impressive stuff. I stand completely corrected, this is not only a valuable resource for any budding worship leader but is also great to listen to in its own right AND THATS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. Let's have more material of this kind of calibre and less of the mass produced "product". Worship music should be made to stir body and soul to worship God and definitely not made merely to be swift selling "units" in the local record store. This album is the real McCoy; a quality recording that is worth its salt. Buy it.

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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