Reviewed by James Stewart

With vocals deeply reminiscent of early Jars Of Clay, Shane Bernard and Shane Everett's album fits neatly into the mainstream of current CCM. The instrumentation has more of a pop-rock quality than the more acoustic flavoured first Jars album and lyrical inspiration seems to be largely drawn (as the title suggests) from the praise-focussed psalms, leading to songs of devotion and adoration but sadly without the same poetic strengths of their inspiration or the balance of themes which the rest of that book spans. Co-producers Barnard and Dave Parker succeed in pulling the instrumentation together and providing a certain consistency to the album but at the same time the arrangements fail to stand out. While things are a little more interesting when the more stripped down tracks which typify the middle of the album kick in, there is little imagination on display here, leading to an album which fits in well with its contemporaries but does nothing to move along what has become a rather lethargic genre. Those looking for another album to add to their middle of the road devotional collection may enjoy this, but it does little to recommend itself or to push any boundaries.

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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