Reviewed by Ian Hayter

It has Don Moen's name on the production credits. It has a great backing band. It showcases a kids' choir which has now performed on a fair few albums in the 'Shout Praises' series. And it features a collection of great classic hymns. All the elements are there for a wonderful album, but it somehow doesn't quite click. Cheryl Rogers' upbeat arrangements are great and the musicians really perform well. The choice of hymns is guaranteed to gladden the hearts of many listeners - "O For A Thousand Tongues", "What A Friend We Have In Jesus", "There Is Power In The Blood" and the ubiquitous "Amazing Grace" are amongst the 11 tracks (although not all the tunes will be familiar to a British audience). The drawback is that the children's voices don't really provide enough variety to hold the attention of the listener for the whole album. Much of the time they don't really even sound as if they're enjoying themselves. It's worth a listen - but probably only once.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.