Reviewed by Elliot Rose

New from the Vineyard, not just another worship collection but a worship idea. Arranged for simplicity and participation, the new 'Small Group Worship' series aims to deliver an audible worship leader for when a physical one isn't around. The first volume, which features 16 familiar songs, are led by the fantastic vocal talents of Ronnie McDermid and Kate Cooke whose voices sooth and soar throughout (particularly the latter's), but it's when they come together that they reach their loftiest peak; the close harmonies fit smoothly together like a well-oiled jigsaw. The song selection is spot on, containing tracks from decades gone by (such as "Hungry", "Refiner's Fire" and "Amazing Grace") but also throwing into the mix a couple of more modern gems like Bethel's "One Thing Remains". The gentle acoustic guitar work by Jesse Duley moulds with George Quin's piano exquisitely, and the backing percussion provides ample rhythm to keep all involved in time. I was a little disheartened not to find lyrics contained in the booklet after they'd gone to all the trouble of transposing the tracks to a reachable key (even I can hit the high notes in "Surrender"!), as not every track will be familiar to every worshipper.

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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