Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Slowly but surely the international Church has become aware of the music of the two Canadian worshippers Nathan and Gabriel Finocchio, now living in the US and who go by the name The Royal Royal. Now with their tie-up with BEC Recordings they are surely about to deliver even bigger things than their download hits like "Praise Him" (2012). There's much to enjoy here. I was engaged by the propulsive cross rhythms of "Neon Sign" which makes a bold declaration to follow Christ while "Champion" manages to achieve the no mean feat of sounding joyful without being triumphalistic. Sometimes the lyrics seem a tad simplistic ("You are the God who saves us") and I'm not sure that "saves us" and "praises" are much of a rhyme to start with and they have long since palled, being heard them on many other worship songs. But maybe this is nit-picking. The brothers' vocals are strong and the production with rhythm and synths abounding in rhythmic ideas. As a pop production I think "Afterlife" is the album's pinnacle and from the fade-in synth riff to the cut away drums-only ending it's exactly the kind of song you'd want blasting from your radio on a summer drive though I couldn't imagine a church worship team - however large - getting to grips with its wall of sound intricacies. But then, I've never maintained that all modern worship needs to be suitable for a congregation to sing. And as it turns out, the next track on the album, the slow "I Found Love", would definitely get a congregation large or small singing. Whether you sing some of the songs on 'Rococo' or listen to some of them in your car, living room or bathroom one thing seems likely, they'll help draw you nearer to the Lord himself. And that is what this elaborately decorated rococo album is designed to do.

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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