Reviewed by Jonathan Cairns

There is something unique about gospel music that makes it very difficult to produce. At the very least it demands high energy, top quality musicianship and a dedicated group spirit. The Grammy nominated Chicago Mass Choir has all of these things in excess, and the result is not only a performance faithful to the gospel genre, but also a powerful and spiritually uplifting experience. As the performance begins with "We Can Do All Things", you are immediately overwhelmed by the raw power and effortless precision of the voices, and the energy they're putting into the music is tangible. The band is absolutely superb (see "God Is My Everything" or "I'm Gonna Praise The Lord"), and very much understated. The choir are totally unreserved in their praise to God, and their freedom to dance is enviable! The songs tend to focus on an aspect of God's character or the life of Jesus, and it's clear that the Bible is the group's foundation. The highlights are Percy Gray's "Sending Up Our Praises" and the moving "I Believe In The Power Of God", but the energy is maintained throughout the performance. The audio and video is of good quality, though is let down by the complete absence of special features. Still, the music speaks for itself.

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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