Reviewed by Tony Cummings

This sampler introduces Joe Public to some of the worship music emanating from students at the London School of Theology. It sounds like an interesting idea but unfortunately is let down by weak production and some misjudged arrangements. For instance having an extended spacey intro at the start of Josh Hobbs' acoustic guitar driven mid tempo song "Saving Grace" may have seemed a good idea but simply doesn't go with what follows while Josh's voice is a tad nasal. A better singer and a more imaginative song is Rebekka Ziemann's "Life Is Not A Straight Line" though its accompanying acoustic guitar is badly recorded. Peter Whittle's "Hold Me" has a pleasant vocal but also features a rap, badly written and executed. "In Three Days" by Daniel Osterstay has the best production until it gets to a limp falsetto vocal and by the time we get to track five, "How Long" - a voice and piano song - by Heather Chivers, I was feeling more like a hapless music publisher wading through sub standard demos than a reviewer encouraging people to look out for fresh British worship talent. In truth, these tracks should have been kept away from Joe Public - even in the form of a free download.

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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