Reviews

MUSIC

Worship with the new and old

Here I am to Worship, by Tim Hughes, Survivor Records, CD £14.99.
Revival, by Petra, EMI Christian Music, EMI Christian Music Group, CD £14.99.

A few years ago, any real comparison between a recording by a young worship leader from Watford and the latest project from one of the most prestigious American Christian rock bands of all time would have seemed inconceivable. Yet they share the same producers, Jason Halbert and Dwayne Larring (ex-Sonicflood), and songs on both are strongly rooted in the current UK worship scene.

Tim Hughes began making his mark at Soul Survivor events as a teenager, and with his friend and mentor Matt Redman now residing in the States, Tim has an increasingly key role within Soul Survivor’s ministry in Britain and beyond. He’s already featured on various Soul Survivor/New Wine live recordings, and the Reward studio album with Soul Survivor colleague Martyn Layzell, but Here I Am To Worship is Tim’s first full solo release, reflecting his growing confidence and maturity as a songwriter.

As on many a debut album, the songs here chart that development, from 1997’s My Jesus, My Lifeline, via I Will Always Love You (1998) and the much-covered Jesus, You Alone, moving to the present with May The Words Of My Mouth, the title track and Maker Of All Things.

Highly competent songwriting and delivery, but Tim has yet to break free of Matt Redman’s all-pervasive influence, and develop a style of his own. Maybe next time.

Petra were already a going concern when Tim Hughes was born, and over a decade ago they released the seminal worship project Petra Praise – The Rock Cries Out, one of their most popular albums to date.

The 1997 sequel fared equally well, and as a long-time Petra fan I’m delighted to find the three veterans Bob Hartman (guitar), Louie Weaver (drums) and John Schlitt (vocals) teaming up with Halbert and Larring to work on some of the recent crop of worship songs.

Chris Tomlin’s The Noise We Make would be a good theme song, but half the tracks are by British songwriters – We Want To See Jesus Lifted High, two from Matt Redman, Stu Townend’s prayerful How Long, and air guitar anthem Jesus, Friend Of Sinners, though it doesn’t have quite the grittiness of Paul Oakley’s original.

In its day, The Rock Cries Out was exceptional, and perhaps partly because of it worship album production values improved immeasurably. With Revival, it’s harder for Petra to stand out from the crowd, but there’s still a certain je ne sais quoi.

High calibre album

The Force Behind the Power, by The London Community Gospel Choir. FAR Records (Kingsway Music), CD £14.99.

WHEN it comes to British Gospel, the London Community Gospel Choir stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Over the years, LCGC members have appeared on a string of chart hits, supplying backing vocals for artists as highly-renowned as Sting and Sir Paul McCartney, but now it's their turn to call upon some special guests for support on the choir's eighth album in their own right.

Curiosity got the better of me as I skipped to the r&b-flavoured Whenever You Call, a soulful performance from Carleen Anderson (who, incidentally, shared the Saturday night bill with LCGC at Greenbelt 98). The other notable guest slot is He Loves Me Lots - a touch of Latin spice from dance diva Juliet Roberts.

LCGC founder Bazil Meade has the vocal lead on four of the remaining nine tracks, including opener Instead Of Begging and Where Could I Go - a ballad reminiscent of Labi Siffre's Something Inside So Strong. And for real energy, nothing beats Stephanie Meade's work with band and choir on Never Alone, with Noel Robinson's guitar soloing as the icing on the cake. With an album of this calibre, LCGC's reputation looks secure.

Masterful debut

Soul and spirit, by Soul and Spirit, Fortune and Glory (Gospel Connection), CD £13.99. Available from Crossways Music: 01702 392222; www.crosswaysmusic.com

Not for the first time in recent months, I’m pleased to be giving a reviewer’s thumbs-up to a grass roots gospel recording made in Birmingham. Based at Moseley Road Methodist Church, Carol Troupe, Joanne Smith and Sam Wilkinson are collectively known as Soul and Spirit. Their debut CD is a masterpiece in high quality, but no frills production – their collective vocal talents are such that high-tech studio gimmickry seems virtually unnecessary.

I would have been more than satisfied if Soul and Spirit had stuck to the accomplished a cappella vocal delivery of the opening track, a cover of Andrae Crouch’s Bless The Lord, but that’s just a single hue in the trio’s technicolour stylistic palette.

Nearer, Nearer moves off in a retro soul direction, and ballads Love Is Patient and Mercy For Me have a classic gospel feel. Let God’s Peace is a delightfully easy-going reggae number, and there’s a Caribbean lilt to Back On Solid Ground.

African musical influences surface too, very obviously on Alleluia! We Sing Your Praises, but they’re also hinted at on Sam Wilkinson’s All That I Know.

Straightforward and effective.

Mellow moods

Feels So Real, by Janey Lee Grace, Real Vision Records, CD £10. Available by mail order from Real Vision Records, 43 Sellwood Drive, Barnet, Herts EN5 2RW (www.realvisionrecords.com)

Every musician has roots and influences, and with this set from DJ, singer and Radio 2 presenter Janey Lee Grace I notice strong connections to her stint as presenter of The Gospel Hour on GLR 94.9 (as the much-rebranded BBC London station was known in the early Nineties).

The mix of music on that show was eclectic, but amongst Janey’s favourites were Martyn Joseph and the American singer Julie Miller. Kindred spirits for an aspiring singer/songwriter, and both now feature on Feels So Real – Janey covers Julie and Buddy Miller’s emotionally-laden Broken Things, then duets with Martyn on Be Thou My Vision. Seven more songs are Janey’s own work, most co-written with pianist Phil Curran.

Mellow is generally the mood – spacious, mainly piano-backed arrangements, with some nice touches too from bassist Andy Coughlan on opening number Unpredictable. Framed around the traditional rhyme, Tuesday’s Child edges towards ambient territory, and a backdrop of acoustic and electric guitars is employed for the thoughtful Days Like These.

Never one to espouse in-your-face hectoring lyrics, the finale and title cut echoes the future hope of Revelation 21, with Janey’s faith more implied than worn on her sleeve. That softly, softly approach to songwriting seems a wise ploy from one who needs to take care not to undermine a hard-earned platform in the media.

Peter Dilley is a bass guitarist and co-ordinator/mentor for a support scheme for young people with learning difficulties with the charity InterAct

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		MUSIC Worship with the new and old Here I am to Worship, by Tim Hughes, Survivor Records, CD £14.99. Revival, by Petra, EMI Christian Music, EMI Christian Music Group, CD £14.99. A few years ago, any real comparison between a recording by a young worship leader from Watford and the latest project from one of the most prestigious American Christian rock bands of all time would have seemed inconceivable. Yet they share the same producers, Jason Halbert and Dwayne Larring (ex-Sonicflood), and songs on both are strongly rooted in the current UK worship scene. Tim Hughes began making his mark at Soul Survivor events as a teenager, and with his friend and mentor Matt Redman now residing in the States, Tim has an increasingly key role within Soul Survivor’s ministry in Britain and beyond. He’s already featured on various Soul Survivor/New Wine live recordings, and the Reward studio album with Soul Survivor colleague Martyn Layzell, but Here I Am To Worship is Tim’s first full solo release, reflecting his growing confidence and maturity as a songwriter. As on many a debut album, the songs here chart that development, from 1997’s My Jesus, My Lifeline, via I Will Always Love You (1998) and the much-covered Jesus, You Alone, moving to the present with May The Words Of My Mouth, the title track and Maker Of All Things. Highly competent songwriting and delivery, but Tim has yet to break free of Matt Redman’s all-pervasive influence, and develop a style of his own. Maybe next time. Petra were already a going concern when Tim Hughes was born, and over a decade ago they released the seminal worship project Petra Praise – The Rock Cries Out, one of their most popular albums to date. The 1997 sequel fared equally well, and as a long-time Petra fan I’m delighted to find the three veterans Bob Hartman (guitar), Louie Weaver (drums) and John Schlitt (vocals) teaming up with Halbert and Larring to work on some of the recent crop of worship songs. Chris Tomlin’s The Noise We Make would be a good theme song, but half the tracks are by British songwriters – We Want To See Jesus Lifted High, two from Matt Redman, Stu Townend’s prayerful How Long, and air guitar anthem Jesus, Friend Of Sinners, though it doesn’t have quite the grittiness of Paul Oakley’s original. In its day, The Rock Cries Out was exceptional, and perhaps partly because of it worship album production values improved immeasurably. With Revival, it’s harder for Petra to stand out from the crowd, but there’s still a certain je ne sais quoi. High calibre album The Force Behind the Power, by The London Community Gospel Choir. FAR Records (Kingsway Music), CD £14.99. WHEN it comes to British Gospel, the London Community Gospel Choir stand head and shoulders above the rest. Over the years, LCGC members have appeared on a string of chart hits, supplying backing vocals for artists as highly-renowned as Sting and Sir Paul McCartney, but now it's their turn to call upon some special guests for support on the choir's eighth album in their own right. Curiosity got the better of me as I skipped to the r&b-flavoured Whenever You Call, a soulful performance from Carleen Anderson (who, incidentally, shared the Saturday night bill with LCGC at Greenbelt 98). The other notable guest slot is He Loves Me Lots - a touch of Latin spice from dance diva Juliet Roberts. LCGC founder Bazil Meade has the vocal lead on four of the remaining nine tracks, including opener Instead Of Begging and Where Could I Go - a ballad reminiscent of Labi Siffre's Something Inside So Strong. And for real energy, nothing beats Stephanie Meade's work with band and choir on Never Alone, with Noel Robinson's guitar soloing as the icing on the cake. With an album of this calibre, LCGC's reputation looks secure. Masterful debut Soul and spirit, by Soul and Spirit, Fortune and Glory (Gospel Connection), CD £13.99. Available from Crossways Music: 01702 392222; www.crosswaysmusic.com Not for the first time in recent months, I’m pleased to be giving a reviewer’s thumbs-up to a grass roots gospel recording made in Birmingham. Based at Moseley Road Methodist Church, Carol Troupe, Joanne Smith and Sam Wilkinson are collectively known as Soul and Spirit. Their debut CD is a masterpiece in high quality, but no frills production – their collective vocal talents are such that high-tech studio gimmickry seems virtually unnecessary. I would have been more than satisfied if Soul and Spirit had stuck to the accomplished a cappella vocal delivery of the opening track, a cover of Andrae Crouch’s Bless The Lord, but that’s just a single hue in the trio’s technicolour stylistic palette. Nearer, Nearer moves off in a retro soul direction, and ballads Love Is Patient and Mercy For Me have a classic gospel feel. Let God’s Peace is a delightfully easy-going reggae number, and there’s a Caribbean lilt to Back On Solid Ground. African musical influences surface too, very obviously on Alleluia! We Sing Your Praises, but they’re also hinted at on Sam Wilkinson’s All That I Know. Straightforward and effective. Mellow moods Feels So Real, by Janey Lee Grace, Real Vision Records, CD £10. Available by mail order from Real Vision Records, 43 Sellwood Drive, Barnet, Herts EN5 2RW (www.realvisionrecords.com) Every musician has roots and influences, and with this set from DJ, singer and Radio 2 presenter Janey Lee Grace I notice strong connections to her stint as presenter of The Gospel Hour on GLR 94.9 (as the much-rebranded BBC London station was known in the early Nineties). The mix of music on that show was eclectic, but amongst Janey’s favourites were Martyn Joseph and the American singer Julie Miller. Kindred spirits for an aspiring singer/songwriter, and both now feature on Feels So Real – Janey covers Julie and Buddy Miller’s emotionally-laden Broken Things, then duets with Martyn on Be Thou My Vision. Seven more songs are Janey’s own work, most co-written with pianist Phil Curran. Mellow is generally the mood – spacious, mainly piano-backed arrangements, with some nice touches too from bassist Andy Coughlan on opening number Unpredictable. Framed around the traditional rhyme, Tuesday’s Child edges towards ambient territory, and a backdrop of acoustic and electric guitars is employed for the thoughtful Days Like These. Never one to espouse in-your-face hectoring lyrics, the finale and title cut echoes the future hope of Revelation 21, with Janey’s faith more implied than worn on her sleeve. That softly, softly approach to songwriting seems a wise ploy from one who needs to take care not to undermine a hard-earned platform in the media. Peter Dilley is a bass guitarist and co-ordinator/mentor for a support scheme for young people with learning difficulties with the charity InterAct © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.