Reviewed by Paul Poulton

The Voices Of Unity's first CD came out in 1995, and periodic projects have appeared since then; now slimmed down to just seven people: three chaps and four girls, they make an impressive album.  I liked it from the first few seconds, it's modern - hasn't the benchmark always been, "your mother wouldn't like it"?  It's not so vocally acrobatic as Lauryn Hill but the feel is close.  Kick drum, not too much bass, extraneous noises which turn out not to be extraneous at all, subtle acoustic guitar licks.  The vocals couldn't be any tighter if you used a wrench with a pipe on it and dangled from it for extra leverage.  Of course you can abuse the "modern sound" ploy and try to get away with sticking anything on songs by calling them State Of The Art, but art will stand the test.  "We Invite You In" is the one track where things get slightly weird - a slow paced worship song where the rhythm drum gets out of hand.  Maybe it's my British sensibilities but I can't help but say, "Could you drums form an orderly queue please and come in when it's your turn?"  "Who Is It" has hard hitting vocals which target the youth who's been brought up in church but now feels the strong pull of the world.  "Standing In The Need Of Prayer" is not a reworking of the old spiritual but a passionate appeal to God.  "Jesus Is A Rock" sucks me into its groove and message.  Don't touch that dial, Mom.

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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