Reviewed by Simon Eden

This sampler could have been called 'Best Worship Tracks Of 2011' and certainly there are plenty of gems cherry picked for this compilation. Almost all the usual suspects are there, Matt Redman's "Our God" from Soul Survivor, Ben Cantelon, Tim Hughes, Lou Fellingham, Stuart Townend, Delirious?, Brenton Brown and Cathy Burton. The peculiarity is Graham Kendrick's 1993 song "Knowing You" but it is a brilliant re-recording from his 2010 'Best Of' album. What makes the album particularly worthwhile are the lesser known worship ministries. The best track on the album (for me) by far is the Rend Collective Experiment's "Exalt", so much so I wanted to rush out and get the 'Organic Family Hymnal' album. I may have fallen for this marketing technique, as that is the purpose of this collection but I am happy that I did, and even more so considering you can get this collection free when you buy any title in the 'Discover The Sound Of Worship' range. So, I'm off to buy the 'Organic Family Hymnal' and while I'm about it the Bethel Live album 'Be Lifted High' featuring "You Are Good" as my guitar is begging to play 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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Yes, worship has a sound. But it doesn’t come down to style, pitch or flavour. The sound of worship comes from the heart, and with worship leaders like Tim Hughes, Stuart Townend, Graham Kendrick and Delirious? on this thirteen-track compilation, there’s plenty of that to go around.

Epic anthems like Our God, My Soul Sings and Exalt from Rend Collective Experiment sit alongside classics like Graham Kendrick’s Knowing You Jesus and Stuart Townend’s Come People of the Risen King. The album also introduces new band The City Harmonic and reminds listeners of just how great songs are like Tim Hughes’ Jesus Saves, Brenton Brown’s Our God Is Mercy and Lou Fellingham’s Amazing God. The sound of worship might vary from artist to artist, but the heart remains the same.