Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

I found myself searching for adjectives to describe this compilation. For fans of modern gospel music it's a treasure trove, with artists like CeCe Winans, Antonio Neal, Heather Headly and many more. Many of the tracks are live recordings, so there are lots of vocal responses from the audience/congregation. You can feel the sense of occasion but also feel the disadvantage of not being there to partake. However no particular song stopped me in my tracks - I couldn't pinpoint any killer songs, though Heather Headley's performance of "Here I Am To Worship" comes close! The collection serves as a sampler for all the artists included, but being a double CD there's a lot to take in and it would have helped if there had been more variety - perhaps the second CD could have been given a different character. Despite that there's much to admire - excellent vocals throughout ("Great Is Thy Faithfulness" by CeCe and Dolores Winans), some nice electric guitar riffs ("How Great Is Our Lord" by LaRue Howard), nifty organ work ("Take My Life" - Micah Stampley), subtle piano ("I Adore You" by Darlene McCoy) and uplifting choral work ("Unrestrained" by Myron Butler And Levi). But as I said, this album lacks killer cuts.

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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