Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

When reviewing these compilation albums I find myself saying the same stuff - lots of familiar songwriters, plenty of fine material for worship leaders and choir directors, familiar sources like Spring Harvest and Soul Survivor, lack of clarity as to who exactly is performing and packages which sometimes lack a full lyric sheet. All of the above apply to this album. I wondered about the name - songs become anthems when audiences or congregations adopt them widely and they become popular over a considerable time. Most of these songs are recent and it's not enough to declare songs as anthems! That being said there are some enjoyable songs on these CDs and maybe this is just me but overall I found the second CD (the blue one) to be more striking and creative, with more variety of style. However there were some standout tracks towards the end of CD 1 (the red one) especially the inspiring and soulful "Break Every Chain" and "O My Soul". On CD 2 I liked the driving rock of 'Come Everybody", there are some effective bass riffs on "First", the imagery of "Rain" is appealing, the acoustic approach of "Adore Him" provides a quiet contrast to most of the other songs, "Worth It All" brims with conviction, "What A Friend We Have" puts a useful new spin on the familiar words, "Be Merciful" and "Holding On" feature some of the best vocals. Among my personal favourites were "Spirit Burn" with its strong vocals and spirit-filled imagery, while "The Perfect Wisdom Of Our God" delivers a reflective piece to finish.

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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