Reviewed by Ian Thomson

Shola is a part of the worship team at London's renowned mega-church Kingsway International Christian Centre and this is her debut album. Packed with her own unique brand of worship music, there is a lot of heart to this album. "Praise You" at track two has a foot-tapping Brazilian lilt to it, but the middle section is sung in the Nigerian language of Yoruba. "African Medley" is a tapestry of worship choruses, presumably adapted from their regular usage in African church worship, to suit Shola's gentle charisma and powerful voice. If there is a down-side to such an upbeat selection of songs, it has to be that there is a tendency to vagueness exhibited here. Both lyrics and musical arrangements tend towards existing gospel templates. Some listeners may find a modicum of predictability here. However, the defining memory that I will take from the album is one of encouragement and joy, which I think is how Shola and her production team at Oasis Music intended 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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