Reviewed by Stephen Luff

There are very few British church-based worship albums with enough supporters to make number one in the UK's Christian and Gospel Chart, but the worship team from the Bradford megachurch are one such ensemble. Under the leadership of Matt Hooper the team here deliver 13 songs, beautifully led by the in-house worship leaders Aaron, Eby, Jack, Chelsea and Johnny. Unusually for such a release, the opener is a gentle track, "How Can We Not (Give Praise)", but the pace soon quickens with the engaging "Imagine" which is a great listen. The epicentre of this album are three big worship ballads. "Miracles Happen" is a salient reminder that the Church should be expectant to see our Lord moving in works of power; "Fearless Abandon" declares how encounters with such a God will induce in us a Holy Spirit-empowered fearlessness; and "Freedom At The Cross" takes us back to the focal point of our faith. Another song which must be mentioned is the apocalyptic "Seas Of Glass". The song takes us into the book of Revelation so that we glimpse how the throne of God changes how we see our future. Although not yet released in the US, 'Speak To The Storm' has already been picked up by one or two critics. The Hallels website recently enthused, "Rather than treating their songs as palettes of spiritualised romantic scribblings where the trite gets the cynosure, these 13 songs give articulation to some of the most salient doctrines of the Church. In each song, you won't find wasted rhetoric and you won't find innocuous inspirational lyrics crafted to pacify the politically correct. Rather, in these songs we will push off our comfort zones, make us rethink our life's destiny, and make us persevere through trials with holy confidence. In short, this album is our sonic companion that will accompany us in the major unravelling of life's events."

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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