Reviewed by David Faulkner

This CD stands out as slightly different from other Salvation Army recordings this reviewer has written about for Cross Rhythms, both in terms of the band itself and the programme of music. The London Central Fellowship Band is predominantly but not exclusively Salvationist. The music is not entirely religious. Yes, it contains plenty of devotional material such as "Valiant Warriors", "Call Of The Gospel" and an arrangement of the hymn tune "Worcester". However, it also includes show tunes such as "Hello Dolly!" and old MOR pop songs such as "Quando, Quando, Quando" and "How D'ya Like Your Eggs In The Morning?" The cornet solos (how can a Salvationist recording not contain those?) also cross the religious/populist divide. So there is "The Victor" by the late Terry Camsey and "All The Ways God Has Shown" but also there is "Bugler's Holiday". Not only that, theatre vocalist Deryn Edwards sings a solo on "Now I Belong To Jesus". And - while this may be a cliché - the band truly swings. This is not a po-faced recording. If you had a non-Christian friend who liked this style of music, you could do a lot worse than introduce him or her to this excellent recording.

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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