RPM - Give My All: RPM Live

Reviewed by Graeme Crawford

Rocknations is the youth ministry of Abundant Life Church in Bradford and this album is live worship from their Youth Conference in August last year. RPM are the Rocknations house band and lean towards a high energy punk style. The songs are full of catchy hooks and sing-along choruses and while they seem quite simple, they are perfect for their target audience. The title track and "Now Or Never" encapsulate these attributes perfectly, while "Greatest Of All" and "Thank You For The Cross" provide the requisite slower reflective moments. It may all seem formulaic and clichéd, but it works and the band believe in what they are doing. The musicianship is competent without being showy and the production is clear and uncluttered. The short DVD gives a brief behind the scenes look at the group and allows multi-angle views of the four songs. Watching the songs, you get a good sense of the energy flowing between the band and the audience. Main worship leader Mike Harvie is dervish-like in his performance, which is extremely impressive when you realise that there are up to seven vocalists onstage along with the band! The camerawork lets the DVD down though, as it is jerky and almost induces motion sickness in the way it jumps around. They may have been trying to emulate the onstage energy and the nature of the songs, but it just doesn't work. Having said that, this is still a CD that will find wide acceptance in the church youth market.