Reviewed by Matthew Cordle

This 25-track CD is the soundtrack to an inspirational documentary of the same name, focusing on what God is doing on the streets of Colombia through the mission trips of Come & Live!, a missions community with a particular focus on the arts. With many moving encounters praying over people in the streets of Bogota and in rural villages, there is much opportunity for serious reflection, but the video also contains plenty of fun and laughter both in footage and narration. This is reflected in the choice of music for the soundtrack, with moments of fun, seriousness, drama and celebration. Whilst there are some songs with vocals, the majority of the tracks are instrumental and, whilst they do stand in their own right as pieces of music, as with many soundtracks you will have more empathy with them having watched the video. The main theme, written and performed by The Frozen Ocean, with its simple slow piano motif, is highly atmospheric mood music that adds an element of gravitas to the beginning of the video and features at a few other key moments of reflection. This is followed by the first of eight tracks from This Is The Giant, setting the scene with the simple repetitive words, "Sometimes you have to take chances/Sometimes you have to face failure", reflecting the pioneering aspect of what the team were doing in Colombia; not every prayer for healing results in an obvious healing and you have to take risks when stepping out in faith. Stylistically the majority of the music is guitar-based rock and ambient rock, although there are also more tender worship moments in songs such as Will Reagan & United Pursuit's, "Give Me A Song". One key song that reflects some of the challenges raised by the video is "Ascension" by the band Life In Your Way, which asks, "When will you make the world right again?/We hear you promising power but what does this mean...how can we change the world?" The answer then comes, "When we call upon your holy name/Hell can't stand against the power in us." One line from the video in particular stuck with me, "Living love wasn't about a one-time event/But rather a life-long pursuit of God's heart." This reality is at the heart of both music and movie and is the basis of its power. You need to see the movie to truly appreciate the soundtrack, which underpins the narrative very effectively. You can stream it free of charge at http://comeandlive.com, as well as downloading the soundtrack free of charge.

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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