Reviewed by Tony Cummings

I wish I'd had a chance to catch one of the IDMC gigs during their recent Taking It To The Streets tour. They're one hot choir who can get their praise on in such a way as to warm the hardest heart. So it's a shame that this album never rises above the routine. There are too many ordinary songs, some of the tracks like the R&B groove "Lift Your Head Up" sound like most of the choir had the day off while the opener, an attempt to gospelise the old Maranatha chorus "Lord I Lift Your Name On High", sounds both limp and stylised. There are some better moments, guest vocalist Tyrone Henry on the ballad "Only You" shows again how he's one of the most underrated and underused vocalists on the British scene, while a couple of the choir's female vocalists have great chops. But in a field as crowded as gospel choirs this album's failings mean 'Take [It] To The Streets' is unlikely to take too many prisoners.

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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