Reviewed by Jonathan Harris

With the latest release by All Sons & Daughters one thing is for sure, worship leaders the world over will be led to lift their voices to "Gaaaad". Notwithstanding this, there is no doubting the fantastic contribution that this collective has made to contemporary worship, along with fellow "in the round" worshipers such as United Pursuit and John Mark McMillan - a style of worship which provides a delightful harmony to the stadium-ready sound that has dominated contemporary worship over the last two decades or so. Intriguingly, AS&D's fourth album is accompanied by a book which gives brief accounts of a number of renowned Christians, including C S Lewis, John Newton, St Francis and St Augustin. The album starts with a no-bars-held echo of Genesis 1 with "Heaven Meets Earth" and the first part of this song is reminiscent of the spectacular "Vapor" by Gungor in its unbridled celebration of the spectacle of God's creation, before seamlessly evolving into Heber and Dykes' hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy". This transition beautifully choreographs the wonder of creation into the praise of Creator by the created. "I Surrender" follows and continues to build on the theme of creator and created. Make no mistake however, the Tennessee duo don't shy away from addressing personal struggles as on "Path Of Sorrow", though the focus still remains largely rooted in God's sovereignty. Throughout there is plenty of slide guitar and lilting country-tinged harmonies. This album is a great worship collection and lyrically never loses focus on Biblical truth and heavenly perspective.

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.

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