"Dance in the Glory"

  Kent Henry is no 'Johnny-come-lately' on the worship scene! On the contrary, he's been leading worshipers into God's presence for 25 years, and has produced a staggering 22 live worship albums, including six for Hosanna Music. What's so surprising therefore about this his most recent output, is that the man sounds fresher and more enlivened that ever! This is indeed appropriate, being Kent's debut release on his newly formed Relic Records. There is, as the veteran himself reflects in Relic's statement of vision 'a fire that continues to burn in old hearts'. And boy does it burn! Here is one hour plus worth of evidence!
  This master jumps into action with a couple of energetic praise numbers, their liveliness being reflected in the song titles themselves. Following this, the 25-min stretch from 'Because Of The Cross' shows Kent in his favourite and most intimate worship expression. Beautifully sensitive ballads, which you wish would just go on and on.
  Most of the material on this volume was KH-penned, but there are some notable exceptions. 'Dance into the Land' is a Leonard Jones composition, featuring on MorningStar's "Worship" recording; 'Draw Me Close' is ofcourse that well-known Vineyard classic, given Kent's special touch here; 'Refuge' is a Darrell Evans song which appeared on his excellent "Let The River Flow" album, and 'Not Ashamed' was written by young song-smith Jim Stern. Indeed this veteran tackles the tune with as much passion and panache as does his much younger companion on his own "No Compromise" package.
  A similar upbeat style is expressed on 'Light - Shine' (complete with great guitar riffs), and on the Caribbean lilt of God's Got the Day'; revealing that this muso is still in top form and still as dedicated to his, and our, Lord as ever.

Review by tom lennie

"Land of my Children"

  Recorded in '99, this is Mal's latest full-length release. Born in Wales, and brought up by devout Christian parents who went to church as often as three times on a Sunday, Mal virtually breathed the air of Welsh hymns from birth. His grandmother, Myfanwy, too was keenly musical and Mal well remembers her playing these old hymns on the piano at home as well as on the big church pump organ-Harmonium.
  Here Mal takes some of these old spiritual tunes, truly part of Wales' rich spiritual heritage, and adds new words and flavour to them. The result is a fascinating blend of old and new; a collection of 14 hymns and songs, each with lyrics and most interesting personal notes provided in the accompanying booklet.
  So we have several international favourites such as an incredibly infectious upbeat (and with a slight reggae feel!) version of 'Guide me O Thou Great Jehovah' (also released as a single), and the equally charming 'Canon Lan' ('What a friend we have in Jesus'), originally featured on Mal's "Reunion of the heart" album, but here poignantly sung in Welsh. Apparently
this song is a favourite with Male Voice Choirs, at rugby matches(!) and in every town and village in Wales where this artist has sung it. Also included is the sedate 'I can hear your voice', actually written during the 1800's in America and only Welsh by adoption(!), the even more gentle 'All through the night' and the poignant 'Where you there'.
  Dedicated to his grandmother who introduced him to many to these Welsh classics, this is an historical and moving journey, both spiritually and musically, and a real blessing to all who those seeking a change from totally modern Christian sounds.

"Reunion of the Heart"

  The tender warmth of Mal Pope's vocals will already be familiar to many CCM listeners by way of his worthy contributions to those most unique "City of Gold" and "Shipwrecks & Islands" projects. But this Welshman is also a
prodigious solo artist with a recording career going right back to 1974! Indeed, Mal has had a fascinating musical journey, being 'discovered' while still a schoolboy by none other than Elton John, later touring with the likes of Art Garfunkel. Yet to this day the name Mal Pope is nowhere a household name except in his native Wales, where he often appears on radio, and even has his own TV show!
  Backed by his group The Jacks, "Reunion of the Heart" sees Mal leading a set of mainly self-penned tunes, in which he charms us from start to finish with his soft pop/folk style, often vocally accompanied by delicate female backing. Mr Pope's interpretation of the old favourite 'What a friend we have in Jesus' is most inspiring; the tone changing on 'My god is mighty' to provide an uncharacteristic yet impressive piece of gospel funk. 'Reunion of the heart' is a beautifully moving ballad, which has also been picked up for recording by Sir Cliff Richard, while lead vocals are shared on the poignant
'Fools wisdom' by Marty Joseph. Three tracks presented here were co-written by another Welsh musician Nia (Smith), including the humour-filled story of 'Jonah' and 'When was the last time you asked' providing much food for thought. The album closes with the stunningly inspiring 'How long' written by Stuart Townend, who, along with keyboard maestro Mark Edwards and guitarist/producer Neil Costello, are also included in this song's credit-listing.
  A suitable finale to a sensitive and very impressive studio-recording.

Reviews by tom lennie

Grapevine '99 - "Preludes to Heaven"

  Grapevine is a Christian Bible Week held in Lincoln, England, each year. It will come as no surprise, that this year's worship offering, featuring as it does the worship-leading gifting of Chris Bowater, Johnny Markin and Trish Morgan, is a highly accomplished and diverse collection of worship output. All the more diverse, considering the wide variety of songwriters who contributed to the venture. While several tracks are upbeat and celebratory, none are loudly rocky or distracting. On the contrary, this worship flows along wonderfully, and seems to carry a real anointing.
  Chris Bowater brings depth and sensitivity to his own gorgeous composition 'Greater Grace', and 'This is My Desire'. Trish Morgan leads on Isaac Watts' hymn 'When I Survey', the most beautiful version of this popular (overdone?) anthem that I know. The band perform extremely well, with great lead guitar and sax impros throughout. Worship leader Dave Middleton comes to the fore on his own work 'See Now My Soul', a moving piece centred on the Cross, while Johnny Markin sings on a stunning version of 'Holy Breath of God', which he also wrote.
  Keeping one's constant attention, this recording contains a strong 'live' atmosphere while remaining very studio-like in terms of sound quality. Truly beautiful.

Grapevine '98 - "Sounds of Revival"

  The most immediately notable aspect of this recording is that, despite the inclusion of several worship leaders who are also prodigious song-writers (among them Chris Bowater, Trish Morgan and Johnny Markin), more than half the songs featured are by 'other' writers. "Sounds of Revival" doesn't suffer from that though. Quite the opposite in fact; this is a wonderfully uplifting collection of praise and worship which flows along in one anointed stream from start finish. The passion is often almost tangible, but never feels false or 'over-done'. Genuine heart-felt worship all the way, including some already well-known songs such as Delirious' 'There's a louder shout to come' and Vineyard's 'Here I am once again', both wonderfully performed here. Jarrod Cooper's 'King of Kings, Majesty' is another triumph, while Trish Morgan leads on two of her own recent and sensitive compositions, including the simple and highly worshipful 'Your name is great'. Equally sensitive is the appreciative 'Father I come to You', led by new-name Paul Simpson-Parry with guest vocals from Joanna
Holland. Chris Bowater flows in in typical style on a couple of tracks; both 'We await your revival' and 'Creation is waiting' are masterly, though only the latter was (co-)penned by himself.
  Each one of the 13 songs on offer is strong. Add on the production expertise of Johnny Markin and the engineering qualities of Chris's son Daniel Bowater, and you have one hot-pot of a live recording. Stirring stuff.

Reviews by tom lennie

Intimate - one of the newest praise & worship CDs from Andrew Ironside. This is our favorite of all the Andrew Ironside CDs. We liked the way it flowed in worship. Shakers & Movers is a new CD from the Christian Outreach Centre with a very upbeat style.

"Intimate"

  A well-established recording artist from Australia, Andrew Ironside here seeks to reflect "the way we worship when we are not at church or gathered with other believers..I like to think of it as the real me, off stage, when all the music fades away and there's just God and me". These words sound inspired by lyrics from Matt Redman's 'Heart of Worship' and indeed Andrew includes a beautiful rendition of this song on this most 'Intimate' worship collection. To a large extent a family affair, wife Desma and son Nathan co-produce the album alongside Andrew; Nathan wrote numerous of the songs
included as well as playing guitar and doing some of the mixing work(!); and several other family members add to the background vocals. As if that weren't enough, Desma Ironside lends lead vocals to Andrew's 'God is so good', a tender ballad written just before Desma was supernaturally healed of an ear tumour. She provides her testimony in the sleeve-notes and it makes her song all the more convincing!
  A slick professional sound in fact pervades this entire recording with beautifully delicate tracks on offer everywhere. 'Magnificent Obsession' (great title), for example, is a gentle song of contentment in God alone, while 'The Worshipper's Overture' (I like that title too!) is a classy instrumental. 'Rain' has a punchier intro, but swiftly moves into a familiar shuffle groove, and 'Generations' contains uncharacteristic uillean pipe and low whistle tones! Most atmospheric.
  Deep lyrics and a smooth sound mark this 73-minute honest expression of 'intimate' worship. If you like easy-listening but professional-sounding worship, you'll love this.

Review by tom lennie

Integrity/Hosanna Music has put out a lot of good P&W music. These are two of their best. Shout To The Lord 2000 is the follow-up to the highly acclaimed first album with the same title. This CD contains songs from previous records and also a few new ones. Special appearances by Ron Kenoly and Alvin Slaughter add a special touch to the song Shout to the Lord. The final song Hear Our Praises is worth the price of the CD alone, and is the #4 song on the Best Songs page.
Adonai opens and closes with the blowing of the Shofars, and in-between takes you on a journey of powerful worship.  Featured artists include:  Esther Horesh, Karen Davis, Sarah Liberman, Daniel Kopp, Barry / Batya Segal, & Paul Wilbur.

"Shout To The Lord 2000"

  Just when you consider that the Hillsongs worship team, with a plethora of releases to it's name, must surely have reached the zenith of it's creative talents and dynamic energy, out it comes with another stunner of an offering! Admittedly, numerous songs here have featured on previous output; nevertheless, this does come over as a fresh and anointed recording, with the now very-well-known title-track being the only song taken from the original and quite excellent '96 'Shout To The Lord' project, also released on the 'Hosanna' label. In fact, even here, the '2000' version is very different to the original, being slower and more emotive, and featuring the rich guest sounds of US worship-maestros Ron Kenoly and Alvin Slaughter. What a trio, and what a passionate rendition of a timeless and magnificent anthem! Messrs Kenoly and Slaughter also lead worship on two other songs, each performing one of his own popular compositions.
  Much of the Australian team's material is characteristically 'Hillsongs'. To say, for example, that the first five songs are enthusiastically performed would be an understatement! The energy simply pounds out of the speakers, challenging the listener in regard to his/her enthusiasm for God. Songs like 'Friends in High Places', 'That's What We Came Here For' and 'Hear Our Praises' are all sung with unrelenting gusto.
  My favourites however, (as indeed on the '96 STTL album) are those wonderfully gentle and intimate expressions of heart-felt worship which virtually compel you to focus your heart upon the Lord. Surely this, above all else, is where Darlene Zschech and her worship team truly excel. This woman sings with such self-abandon, with such a focus on God, that entering into this atmosphere of worship truly causes your spirit to soar in thankfulness. It's in times like this that you feel you know what worship really is all about! And there are many such moments - 'Breathe On Me', 'My Heart Will Trust', 'The Potter's Hand', 'Glory To The King' and 'Eagle's Wings' are all tender and unforgettable occasions.
  With 16 tracks lasting 1 hour and 14 minutes in total, this is one momentous album. Hillsongs' music has been described as 'the ultimate worship experience'. Taking part in this expression of praise, you're unlikely to disagree!

Review by tom lennie

"Glory Day"

  They don't make 'em like this any more - not except David Haas that is! Based in the Great Lakes area of the US, Mr. Haas has a most impressive string of previous recordings ( I counted over 20!) to his name - though I confess that "Glory Days" was my introduction to his unique and rather quaint style of p&w. Running at over two hours, this 2xCD musical feast flows along like a life-giving stream, sometimes springing forth in a fountain of exuberant joy, more usually winding it's charming way in directed, fresh & gentle current.
  Recorded in a live and intimate setting (you feel like you're right there among them!), David leads us through a set of his own God-focused material - infectious songs of worship that certainly touch the heart of this reviewer; I cannot but believe they touch also the Throne of God. Contributions from David's 'friends' are many, and include some deeply moving vocal solos from Kate Cuddy, Lori Ture and others, rich sax and flute improv's from Kenni Holmen and great guitar and mandolin work care of Bobby Fisher. A list of notable tracks would be lengthy - among my select are the rejoicing title-cut, the tenderly emotive 'I know that my Redeemer lives', the sensitive, atmospheric lilt of 'Song of the body of Christ' (based on a traditional Hawaiian tune), and the warm-blooded appeal of the 'We are called' medley.
  With a slight 'Messianic' musical feel to some of the tracks and a worshipful abandon to all, this collection of love ballads cannot fail to charm and impress. One thing's for sure - they don't make 'em like this any more!

Review by tom lennie

"Be Released" Fire and Rain Volume 1