Reviewed by Chris Sharp

As the album notes explain 'Magnify' represents "the journey so far" for Kent-based songwriter Russ Hughes and contains worship songs that many will already be familiar with, spanning the artists career from 1997 to 2005. Unfortunately, as a result the overall impression is of something a little dated. Things kick off with a call to worship in the form of "Holy Mountain" that along with the catchy "Choose Today" is one of the fewer upbeat songs on the album. The quieter adorational style of worship songs seem to be favoured on this recording and this is where Russ' songwriting skills excel. This is epitomized by the heartfelt "I Surrender", which not only shows Russ' vocals at their best but also contains a perfectly balanced arrangement of acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards and understated rhythm section. So if you're looking for some new songs to use in a church setting this might not be the album for you. On the other hand, if the works of Russ Hughes have yet remained off your radar then this is a good place to start.

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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