Reviewed by Tony Cummings

One of the weirdest aspects of the record industry is that when an artist dies there is a sudden surge of sales, even resulting in old albums climbing into the charts. This didn't happen with the Canadian sacred crooner though, but then he was 103 when he finally went to be with the Lord. But another reason why we didn't see this 2012 compilation shooting up the pop charts after his death on 16th April 2013 is that, in truth, time has not been kind to the music of George. His music, renditions of old hymns and inspirational ballads was in many ways a continuation of the sacred solos that Ira Sankey popularised in the 19th century when he toured the world with evangelist D L Moody. From the 1950s onwards the amazing evangelistic crusade ministry of Dr Billy Graham made George a household name among Christians as, in the majority of Graham's crusades, George sang much loved songs like "The Old Rugged Cross" and Shea's own composition "I'd Rather Have Jesus". His following among evangelical Christians was sufficiently vast that RCA Records recorded and released dozens of Shea albums. Now someone has selected 20 tracks from the veteran's vast repertoire (over 60 albums) for this CD. Unfortunately, the music here is now creaking with the passing of time. The arrangements are often overblown, like the florid "I Will Sing Of My Redeemer", and sometimes so cheesy that even George's rich, manly tones cannot stop "Bring Back The Springtime" being all but unlistenable. Make no mistake, George was a tireless servant whose place in musical history is assured. So it's a shame that with every passing year his recordings become more and more an anachronism.

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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Word Records is proud to release George Beverly Shea's The Ultimate Collection, just in time to celebrate the legend's 103rd birthday! Bev Shea possesses one of the warmest, most recognizable voices in all of Gospel music... and this 20-song collection proves it!

Featuring guest performances by Amy Grant, The Bill Gaither Trio and Rev. Billy Graham, this ultimate collection will stand the test of time as a testament to this brilliant singer and minister.