Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

The annual New Wine event has, of course, played its part in disseminating modern worship across the UK Church and this latest batch of songs is a good balance of slow soulful songs and encouraging uptempo numbers as the style varies from intimate to celebratory. The enthusiastic engagement of the audience/congregation is evident, especially on the striking epic "Forgiven" featuring Sam Bailey on vocals - the venue comes alive when everyone joins in as Bailey seamlessly slides into "Amazing Grace" at the end of the song. I particularly liked "Deeper", with Karen Gillespie excelling on vocals, as it helps transition from the lively opening tracks to the quieter songs. It is an invitation to go deeper in our relationship with God, though it is described as an "Interlude", and was too short for my liking at just over one minute! In general, though, the songs can be quite long as befits the live worship experience. If you are looking for an upbeat Easter song you need look no further than "Sing It Out (He's Alive)" enhanced by strong vocals from Tom Eccleshall. As prayerful praise songs go "Great Are You Lord" is a fine example and is blessed with some effective harmonies. All that being said I think 'Simple Pursuit' is in need of something extra to make it stand out from the welter of live worship projects now bombarding the Church.

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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