Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Undoubtedly one of the finest singer/songwriters of the current age, Sandra McCracken's latest offering is a live document of a prayerful musical performance that recently took place at Art House Nashville in what was essentially a living room full of friends and family and the result is exquisite. Refreshingly bucking the trend of adopting the full-on sound of many modern worship releases, McCracken strips things right down instrumentally to allow piano, acoustic guitar and her voice to lead the way resulting in performances that are never overstated but always on the money. Stealing the show is McCracken's voice - somewhere between Carole King and Beth Nielsen Chapman but, in another sense, in a league of its own - and the combined passion, fragility and beauty of her vocals lifts each song onto a different level making for a truly stunning and spiritual listening experience. Obviously, it helps that McCracken is a skilled songwriter and numbers like "Almighty God" and the title track from her 2016 album 'God's Highway' are amongst many quality songs on this release. Avoiding the current trend of many Christian artists to significantly augment classic hymns, a delightfully straightforward reading of "Be Thou My Vision" is one of the many highlights whilst the topical and timely "All Ye Refugees" is supremely affecting. Guest vocal appearances from Liz Vice on the blues-tinged "Continuously" and Leslie Jordan of All Sons & Daughters on the title track add further class to what is an exemplary live worship release.

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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