Homemade Worship By Handmade People by Rend Collective Experiment

Reviewed by Elliot Rose

The Collective surely had a mountain to climb in order to match the standard set following the overwhelming popularity of 'Organic Family Hymnal'. Fortunately it seems the pressure doesn't phase the Northern Irish collective, they've simply done what they do best. . . again. 'Homemade Worship By Handmade People' is the second wave of this musical tsunami, layered with rich guitars, brass and backing vocal harmonies to create a collection of intense anthems that will leave you breathless. This 11-part journey has everything, from the rousing "Second Chance" and gritty "Praise Like Fireworks" to the sweet melodic beauty of "Alabaster", and even managed to put a new twist on the Irish classic "You Are My Vision" ("Be Thou My Vision"), but still keeping a natural feel. Occasionally this album falls short of its predecessor lyrically with some of the words seeming a little simplistic and lacking the creative edge to fully blend with the innovative music. But having said that, RCE have clearly found their niche, a unique and distinctive sound - an experiment with exceptional results! All we can hope for is more of the same in their third instalment.