Reviewed by Jennifer Brooker

Worship albums can be very samey. When this one plopped through the letterbox on Maundy Thursday I did not expect to be using it in a home group that evening. Surprise: a live recording, without any of the drawbacks which sometimes seem to come with the rations with recording on location. 300+ seriously good, committed performers (maybe not quite Scotland's answer to the BTC); quality recorded sound; none of those tiresome voice-overs which drive listeners mad after playing the disc more than twice; and plenty of variety to keep a worshipping soul on track. What more could one want? Well the blurb promises perhaps a little more than we get: "new songs and classics with exciting new arrangements," says the inset card. The songs are good and the choral arrangements (most by music director and producer Ian Watson) more than competent, but cutting edge sound they ain't. The newest is from 1996, from the pen of Graham Kendrick; the classics are represented by Chris Bowater's setting of John Newton's hymn "How Sweet The Name" and a rather lovely bassoon solo based on the big tune from Jean Sibelius' 'Finlandia'. Still a good album, though.

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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